The Complicated Job
by LiVeUrLiFe011
Summary: A year and a half after the successful inception of Fisher, Ariadne receives an another job offer with the team, except this time her past and family gets mixed into it. Can Ariadne to keep the world around her from collapsing? **ALMOST ALL IMPROVED!**
1. Chapter 1

It's been a year and a half since the Fisher job.

Ever since Cobb got past immigration and went home, we all went our separate ways. Some would say everything was the same…while I believe everything changed.

I wasn't the Ariadne I once knew. From doing the Fisher job, and going back home to Paris, I just wasn't the same.

"Can anyone tell me the answer?" Miles asked the class.

No ones hands were raised, so he looked to me.

"Ariadne?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked to him.

"If you want to make the best out of a model, I would do something with foam boards or a computer program. Foam boards are light, thin and easy to build on while the technology now a days is so highly advanced, you could go crazy." I replied.

He nodded, waiting for me to continue.

"Drawing is also helpful too. It helps show detail and so many other things you can't express in technology or cutting. It easy to change and move around."

He looked at me for a second and then moved on.

When class was over, I slowly collected my things and walked down to the professor.

"Miles?" I asked, standing in front of his desk.

"Ariadne, just who I wanted to see." He said in his British accent.

"Is everything ok?" I asked slightly confused.

He nodded and lay back in his seat. "How is your portfolio going?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "It's going fine."

"Can I see?" he asked politely.

I nodded and dug through my bag, getting out the book.

He took it in his hands and slowly looked through it.

"I want to enter you into a contest for an architectural scholarship." He explained bluntly, shutting my portfolio.

"Huh?" I asked confused.

"You are gifted Ariadne. Truly one of the best students I have ever had."

I bowed my head smiling at his sincere comment.

"How about every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we meet up here after class and I help you perfect your portfolio?" he offered.

I looked at him stunned. "Really? Yes, of course. Thank you"

He nodded and gave me a smile.

When I left the professors office, I felt like doing a happy dance. This was amazing.

I was going to have the most perfect portfolio and maybe even graduate early!

The rest of the day went by smooth. I made sure to try extra hard in Miles class and perfect everything in my portfolio.

About a week after the professor's offer, when I was sitting in class, the professor got a call.

It was an unusual call…or so I thought. Everyone knew the professors schedule; and everyone knew not to interrupt him.

He ended the call abruptly and dismissed the class. Packing up my things slowly, I didn't know whether to go down and talk to him or not.

Something was bothering him. I could see it in his way he was sitting with his hands entwined together and his elbows on his desk; his face showing deep thought and sadness.

Acting on impulse, I made my way down to him and stood in front of him.

"Professor?" I asked softly.

He looked up at me with sad eyes and brought a seat close to him.

"Let's keep working on the portfolio shall we?" he told me with that British accent of his.

I looked at him confused for a second. That's not why I was there…

Sighing I pulled my bag over my head and took out my portfolio. We worked on it for hours until I set my pencil down and looked at him.

"Miles, you have been staring at me for almost an hour now." I looked at him, slightly over my shoulder.

He was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed and his head to the side, just watching me.

I could tell he had mixed emotions…they were practically displayed on his face.

"I got a call today," he started.

"It was…" he sighed. "They have another job for you."

I looked at him surprised. "Oh."

He sat up and turned to me. "Ariadne, I know I have said this before, but you are talented. And…watching you use your gift for inception and extraction…"

I watched as he had difficulty with his words.

"I just don't want you to get caught up in this like my son did." He told me, referring to Cobb.

I swallowed and nodded. "Don't worry sir, I wont."

He nodded, and got out a piece of paper. He wrote something on it and then handed it to me.

"Here is the address."

As I took it, I could see him put up a mask to hide his emotions.

I packed my things, feeling exhilarated about another job.

When I turned back to the professor, I could see how unhappy and unsettled he was. I felt bad; he was about the steadiest thing in my life. He helped me get back on my feet after my first job, and he covered for me when I was gone.

"Professor?" I asked.

He looked up, giving me his full attention.

"I know how Cobb and Mal got lost in inception, but that's not me. It's not about the thrill of going under…or the way you can do practically anything and everything." I took a breath and went on.

"It's about how I feel when I'm building. It's about the way I can turn something from ordinary to extraordinary. The way I feel about architecture will never change. It's my job and my passion. It's pretty much the reason I get up in the morning." I laughed.

"But…letting my dreams and imagination go wild; turning them into something more…it's just…breathtaking. I know I may be gifted and blessed with something that I might not fully understand, but as much as I want to run away from it all…its apart of me."

I could see his face fall, and I became a little more nervous.

"I don't want to go into this job like I did with the other one. I'm going to think this through. I promise." I said. I looked at him one more time and then backed away, leaving class.

"Ariadne?" his voice echoed in my ears.

I turned around, stopping right in front of the door.

"What changed? I mean, you just told me inception was something you loved yet your going to think about the job?"

I gave him a sad smile. "After the job was over and everyone parted ways, it wasn't just me who left. It was like they each stole a part of me I can't get back. And I couldn't handle that empty feeling inside."

I pushed away the thoughts. "I'm not going to let that happen again, and im not going to loose my grip on reality. I can't afford it."

He nodded and gave me a small smile. "Have a good day." He chirped.

Flashing him a smile, I walked out of his class; whether he said it or not, I knew he approved of what I thought and my actions to do the job or not.

That feeling…it just made me think that maybe I could do this.


	2. Chapter 2

I ended up at the café Cobb first took me to when he told me about Inception. The piece of paper lay crumbled in my hand with the address scrawled on it. I debated the job with myself over and over.

_Should I take it?_

My thoughts wandered to the time Cobb told me we were in a dream. The way everything blew up and changed. It was a feeling of…excitement. The way I could turn everything; it turned my world upside down…literally. Calling over the waitress, I asked her to bring me a coffee to go.

I was going to go to the abandoned warehouse and just…check everything out. Hailing a cab, I told him where to go and waited patiently to arrive.

He pulled up to an old abandoned looking warehouse.

"Are you sure this is where you want to go?" he asked me.

I nodded to him and handed him the money.

"Yup, I'm doing some sketched for an architectural project, so this place is perfect." I told him, holding up my sketchbook and backpack to show him proof.

Opening the door, and stepping out of the cab, I let the wind hit my face.

"Thank you." I chimed and shut the door. He nodded to me and drove off.

I stood there for a few seconds, just taking it all in.

Thunder struck which meant my time of thinking was over; I began walking over the gravel ground and to the old steel doors. The handles were rusty-rusty, gross and really old. Putting one hand on the handle and the other on the door, I began sliding the door over and making my way inside. With my hands still griping the strap of my over the shoulder bag, I marveled at the high ceiling and windows. It all looked beautiful inside.

"Ahh, and so the princess joins us." A British voice boomed.

I looked down and found the guys.

They were all huddled around a table with a whiteboard full of plans behind them.

"Eames." I smiled and laughed a little. He nodded his head to me with a smile.

My eyes drifted to Yusuf who looked at me kindly, and then to Arthur.

My heart sped up a bit as I noticed his eyes shining with happiness.

"Welcome back." He told me.

I blushed, bowing my head with a smile.

My thoughts wandered to Cobb. _Was he here?_

I shook my head. _Doubt it, I mean he went back to the states for his kids._

"Lets get you filled in shall we?" the British man asked right by me.

I snapped my head up and turned to my right. Eames was standing right next to me, smiling like a fool.

"Not nice." I told him.

"Not my fault you weren't paying attention darling." He laughed as he felt pride for scaring me.

He put his hand on my lower back and began guiding me to the table.

As I watched them all work, my thoughts sped up with my brain. I turned my head to the side and looked at them.

"Who said I was going to take the job?"

They all looked away from their papers and up at me.

"Your not actually thinking of not taking the job are you?" Arthur asked me.

I shrugged and turned around to the whiteboard. There were a bunch of papers and things written all over it.

"Darling, you are crazy not to take the job." Eames advised me.

I laughed a little and turned to him.

"And why is that Eames?"

"Money, darling. Money." He told me.

I rolled my eyes but the grin stayed on my face.

"Fishers job was enough for me. I'm not really in it for that."

"You're in it for the thrill." I voice said.

I snapped my head to the voice and looked at him shocked.

"Cobb?" I asked in amazement. He gave me a smile and walked over to us.

"The one and only."

He came over and gave me a hug. When we pulled away, I felt like I was dreaming. My hand drifted to the totem in my pocket.

This wasn't a dream.

"What are you doing here? I thought you would be back in the U.S with your kids?"

He gave me a small sad smile. "They are with Miles right now. I just got back from dropping them off a little while ago."

I watched his sad and disappointed figure.

"But…why?" I asked him. He knew exactly what I meant because he looked at me, right in the eyes.

"Because I needed to take the job. This man is paying well and…there is just nothing quite like it."

I nodded, knowing where he was coming from. The professor's words replayed in my head.

"_I just don't want you to get caught up in this like my son did."_

I leaned against the table, looking at all the information and layouts.

"So did they explain the job to you yet?" Cobb asked me.

I shook my head and backed away from the table.

"I don't even know if im taking the job yet Cobb." I told him again.

He sighed and looked at me.

"Why?"

I swallowed hard, and looked at everyone. They all looked curiously interested too.

"Because I just don't know if I'm ready yet." I whispered.

"You all ready yet?" a voice asked.

My head popped up and looked to see a man, in his late 40's maybe? He was a white guy with a longer face and deep brown eyes. He was tall too; maybe around 6 feet or so.

"Ariadne, meet Mr. Craft; Mr. Craft Ariadne." He introduced.

I nodded to him and stared at him.

He looked really familiar I just couldn't place it.

I broke my stare away from him and Arthur caught my eye. He was looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

I shook my head and smiled at him.

"So when can we start?" Craft asked Cobb.

"Well…Ariadne, you in?" Cobb asked me.

I sucked in a breath and looked at everyone.

_Could I really do this?_

"Yea…sure. Why not? I just need to make sure the professor can cover me." I said shakily.

Cobb nodded to me, like I was making the right choice. The only problem was it didn't feel like it. I felt the pit in my stomach grow and the doubt surface.

I stepped away from everyone. I felt Arthur and Eames's stare at me.

"I'm just going to talk with the professor." I told them nervously. I looked around, thinking of going out where I came in, when I saw a stair case behind Mr. Craft.

Curiosity getting the best of me, I turned directions and went over to the stairs. My eyes followed the stairs and I found it lead to the roof. I walked up them and pushed the door open.

Calling Miles and telling him I was going to take the job was something I actually dreaded to do.

Dialing his number, I waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" he said.

"Professor, it's me, Ariadne."

"You're taking the job aren't you?" he guessed. His voice wasn't harsh or of distain…it sounded more like disappointment.

"Yes, I am. I-…" I wanted to say I was sorry, but I didn't know if I mean it. I didn't want him to be disappointed in me, but this is what I wanted right?

"It's alright Ariadne, just be careful." He advised.

I smiled and sniffled a little from the cold air.

"Don't worry, I will…and professor?" I asked him.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

He told me good luck and then we hung up the phone. I sighed heavily and squeezed the phone in my hands. Was I making the right choice?

I ran my hands over my face and through my hair, taking in slow deep breaths of fresh air.

I made my way to the ledge of the roof, taking a seat.

Agreeing to the job, it didn't make me feel as happy as I thought it was. Something was off, but I couldn't figure out what.

_Maybe it was just the professor's thoughts that were getting to me._ I thought.

"You don't have to take the job you know?" a voice told me.

I turned around and found Arthur looking at me.

He was wearing one of his three piece suits with his hair slicked back, looking as perfect as ever.

He came to sit next to me on the ledge, and waited for a response.

"No, I want this job." I told him, almost sounding like I was convincing myself.

"Who are you telling? Me or you?" he asked.

I let out a laugh. It was like he could read my mind.

"Both." I said truthfully.

We both stayed silent for a little, just looking at the dreary weather. It was going to rain soon; you could see and feel it.

After a while, we broke the silence and Arthur filled me in about the job.

"What's stopping you?" He asked me suddenly.

I looked at him and furrowed my eyebrows.

"From taking the job." He supplied.

I looked at him with recognition and looked out at the sky.

"I-…." I sighed and looked indirectly at him.

"The first time I went under and experienced everything…it was amazing. It was so surreal and impossible."

I smiled at the experiences.

"I loved everything about it- getting to create something from my head; watching myself create something new and extraordinary."

My thoughts wandered to what I told the professor.

"But…" Arthur supplied.

I bowed my head and looked away from him.

_But you all left me…_I thought.

He took in my silence and then turned to me.

"It gets easier you know." I looked up at him and found him staring at me.

"The splitting up." He said.

I swallowed and nodded. He looked away from my gaze and towards the sky.

"The first time is always the hardest. It's when you're most confused and anxious about everything."

My eyes drifted down to my hands, which were lying in my lap.

"I'm sorry for leaving like that." He told me softly.

I shrugged his apology off. "It's fine; you did what you had to do."

"Ariadne." He said.

I closed my eyes briefly, getting my emotions under control.

"I should have told you more about what to expect before we got off the plane. You weren't ready or prepared to deal with what had to happen." He told me.

I looked at him and gave a fake smile. "It's fine. I got over it."

"Did you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Looking away, I grumbled to myself. Arthur always knew how to look at the real me. When I met his eyes again, they were warm, like he was looking into my soul.

"Ladies." I voice called.

Our heads focused on Eames, who was standing by the door of the roof.

"Not to interrupt or anything, but we have a job that needs planning."

I rolled my eyes started to get up. A hand was offered in front of my face and I looked up to see Arthur smiling at me. I took his hand and he pulled me up, away from the ledge. He guided me, with a hand on my lower back, down to the familiar table, full of blueprints and things.

"You filled in?" Cobb asked.

I nodded. "Project Blackthorne: We need to plant an idea in the head of the company chief that his business is corrupting the world."

"You want man to shut down company because you've had company for generations; or in a more comforting sense, you just want your opponents to change" I said skeptically to Craft.

He looked at me kind of shocked and impressed.

"Alright then, let's get to work." Cobb said.


	3. Chapter 3

We worked for hours, making plans and doing sketches. Each hour passed by and I couldn't help but feel familiar with Mr. Craft. Every time I looked at him, he seemed to puzzle me. I wasn't exactly happy about this job. The morals were all wrong, but his heart was in the right place. I worked on the designs, making sure they were perfect; it was like my way to prove myself worthy to them. It was days later that I finally got to show them my plans of the real thing.

"Alright, I am just going to give us all a light sedative. It should let us go down two levels" Yusuf told us.

We all nodded and took our places in the lawn chairs. Mr. Craft handed me my line and needle, which I took politely from his hands.

I lay back, looking up at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to succumb me. _Here goes nothing…

* * *

_

We are in the dream; middle of an empty New York to be exact.

"Ok, we need a place that is a little off the city, something inconspicuous." Cobb told me.

I thought of something and then lead the way. We went through alley ways and took a few detours.

"How about here?" I asked him.

It was a small building that looked empty and abandoned for a while. Cobb nodded and walked inside. It was Eames that gave me a reassuring smile. When we were all settled in, Arthur pulled us all up some lawn chairs.

"With all of our creative thinking, you would have thought we could have some comfier chairs than these." I grumbled.

Eames let out a laugh while Arthur looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What? It's true!" I argued lightly to him.

I sat down on the lawn chair once again and laid back.

Yusuf handed me the second line and I stuck it in my wrist. We were a sleep before I could let my nerves get the best of me.

* * *

"Show us what you got." Arthur said.

I nodded to him nervously and then showed him the buildings. I tried explaining everything and make sure I covered all bases.

"Amazing Ariadne" Cobb said.

I smiled in victory and flashed Arthur and Eames a smile.

_I did it!_ I yelled happily in my head.

Music played around us and Cobb started walking down the stairs.

"Time to go."

We all made it out to the streets of Boston, waiting for the kick. When it happened, we were back in the abandoned place in New York. The only problem was that when I woke up, everyone was all gone.

"Cobb? Arthur?" I asked from the lawn chair.

My heart was pounding and I felt a little dizzy.

"Eames?" I called nervously.

"Someone?" I whispered as I got up off the chair.

I walked out of the building and outside. Everything was how I left it…except for the fact that when I walked into the city, it was filled with people.

_What the hell?_ I thought to myself.

"Why the hell isn't she waking up?" Arthur yelled to Yusuf.

"I don't know! This has never happened before!" he said nervously.

Arthur pulled out the line and then bent down and moved some hair out of Ariadne's face.

"How did she not catch the fall with us?" Eames asked Cobb.

Cobb stayed silent and shook his head.

"I don't know. She should have come out of both dreams right away. She followed us back through one, but not the other? It doesn't make sense."

"This cant be right…the machine is at zero. There should be no reason that she is still dreaming."

"So how do we wake her up?" Eames asked, looking at Ariadne.

"We give her a kick." Cobb answered.

* * *

**-Back in Ariadne's dream-**

I walked around aimlessly, and then suddenly it turned dark, like it was night time, and I was back in Paris.

"What?" I whispered to myself.

Immediately, I began making my way to the warehouse. Looking over my shoulder, I found someone following me. I hurrily walked through the streets and alley ways. I couldn't see the persons face, but I knew something was wrong. They were gaining on me fast, so I decided to take a short cut. As I was running down a dark alley way, I felt myself run into a hard chest.

The man looked angry to say the least. He was bald and big, almost like a bouncer for a club. He grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against a brick wall. My hands clawed at his hands that were around my neck. Gasping for breath, I knew what was happening; I couldn't breath.

"Listen, and listen close." He growled.

"This inception…this job. You will do it." He commanded.

He dropped me down to the ground and watched as I tried catching my breath.

"If you don't…" he threatened. He crouched down and stuck a knife by my throat.

"They will die. All your teammates will die and you will be there to watch. One by one, they will disappear, and it will be all your fault." He taunted me.

I stared into his eyes with fear and knew he wasn't kidding. His hands grabbed my throat again and shoved me back against the wall.

"Understand?"

The pressure increased on my airway and I felt myself barely breathing.

"Yes." I answered and then blacked out. When I awoke, I was lying on the floor, the lawn chair sitting off towards the side of me.

* * *

I gasped for breath as I held on to my neck.

"Ariadne! Ari!" Arthur said to me.

I ignored all of his calls and continued to gasp for air.

_It felt so real…_

"Ari...its ok, it was just a dream." He said, sticking a hand out to try to calm me down. I immediately backed away and looked at the team who were all gathered around me in a circle, looking scared and nervous.

The tears gathered in my eyes and I pulled myself up off the floor. I put hand over my throat and touched it nervously. I felt my hands shake a bit and tried to take a deep breath.

I was afraid.

Get ahold of yourself Ariadne. I yelled in my head.

"I- umm…." I said with a shaky and raspy voice. Panic was overriding my senses and I felt the stares of everyone on me.

"Ariadne…" Cobb began taking a step towards me.

On instinct, I took a step backward. When I realized what I did, I looked ashamed. They were my co-workers, my friends. They would never do something to hurt me.

I looked at group with teary eyes and then ran off to the bathroom. Locking myself in the small poorly lit room, I sat on the floor, leaning against the bath tub, and cried. Sobs racked my body and I couldn't seem to call down.

" Ariadne! Ari!" Arthur called, pounding on the door nervously.

I tried breathing; inhaling…exhaling…

But every time my eyes shut the flashes of the man hit me. I let out a little squeak and brought my knees closer to my body, huddling in a ball. The sobs were still racking my body as I listened to everyone at the door.

"Darling, please come out." Eames said.

My eyes diverted from the door to the sink.

_How could this happen? Why did they want me for this job? Who was this man?_

Eventually, everyone stopped calling for me and I was left in silence. When I was ready, I stood up shakily from the toilet and went over to the sink.

I leaned over it, taking in some deep breaths again. Looking in the mirror, I assessed myself.

My face was a mess. There were tears stains and red blotches all over my face. Thinking this could just be a dream too; I took out my chess piece and flicked it.

It fell over… in other words; it's not a dream…

I sighed again and looked towards the door.

_Maybe I just needed to get my mind off of this…_

I wiped the tears off my face and ran a hand through my hair.

I sucked in a few more breaths and wiped my face one more time. When I looked as presentable as I would be able to get, I opened the door.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Arthur at his desk, looking at me, with a worried expression on his face. Eames, Cobb and Yusuf were all over in the far corner of the warehouse glancing at me while Mr. Craft seemed to be missing.

_Don't think, just breath._ I told myself over and over. I kept my eyes straight ahead and set a goal to head over to my workspace. On my way over there, I passed by the silver briefcase and lawn chairs. My face drained of all its color as my mind flashed through over today's events.

_Stop! You can't do this now… not here_. I told myself.

With a deep breath, I walked past everything and made it to my seat. I looked at the plans that I had once laid out and tried my hardest to work. Everyone's stares were practically drilling a whole through my body. I let out a frustrated huff and put my hand on my forehead as my elbow rested on the table.

_I can do this._ I chanted in my head.

My eyes studied the blueprints and then soon started to droop.

_They will die. All your teammates will die and you will be there to watch. One by one, they will disappear, and it will be all your fault. _

His voice echoed my mind and I woke up gasping for breath once again. Everyone looked towards me and I moved my hair out of my face.

_Just a dream…_

I took out the chess piece from my hand and tipped it over.

_It really was just a dream._

Getting nervous about falling back asleep, I stood up abruptly and wiped the tiredness from my face.

"Ariadne?" Yusuf asked, walking over to me.

I looked from him to the rest of the guys, looking anxiously at me.

"Yusuf." I nodded and then walked off to find my coat.

"Where are you going?" Arthur asked suddenly, watching my every move.

"Out- I need to get some coffee. Anyone want something?" I asked as normal as possible while putting on my coat.

They all shook their head and I nodded. "Alright, I'm off then."

Opening the warehouse doors, I stepped outside to a rainy night.

On my way to get coffee, I thought I saw someone familiar. My heart raced as I thought about the bald guy who attacked me in my dream. He could be here…he could be in Paris. I rushed into the coffee house; when I immediately stepped inside I felt more safe and comfortable.

Relaxing and breathing a little easier, I ordered my coffee and sipped it with delight.

_I wasn't going to be falling asleep tonight…_

Feeling a little bit better, I made my way back on the streets and back towards the warehouse. About a mile away from the shop, I swear I could feel someone following me, but every time I turned, no one was there. I shook away my nerves, telling myself I was fine. It was just from the accident this morning. As I kept walking, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

_It's him._ I thought to myself.

I began running down the dark empty street, hoping to get to the warehouse in time. Feet pounded against the pavement behind me, and I knew they were catching up quick.

"Stop!" The voice called.

My heart pumped faster and I ran as hard as I could.

A hand grabbed the back of my coat and flung me back. "I said stop!" he yelled.

Coffee flew onto my shirt, pants and coat; chilling me as the warmth faded away. I kicked, punched and screamed, promising myself to put up a hell of a fight. The two men grunted as I thrashed, trying to pin me down. At one point, one of the guys took out a knife and ended up cutting me in the shoulder. I let out a yelp and they immediately held onto me.

My back flung against the brick wall and I slid down in pain. As one of the men knelt down to me, I kicked him in the nuts. He bent down in pain, backing away as I slowly got up. The other man tried to grab me, but I began trying my hardest to kick and punch.

Unfortunately, my back was searing with pain, so I didn't last very long. They both kicked me in the ribs a couple of times, and I knew they were bruised. A large black booted foot was pressed with force over my stomach and ribs.

"Enough." He grunted.

I squinted up to him and moaned in pain.

"We came to give you a message." The one guy said.

"Don't take the job." The second guy told me.

"What?" I asked confused. I thought I was supposed to take the job.

"This is over your head. It's for your own good…" one of them said.

Energy surged through me and I pushed the foot that was pressing against my sore ribs away.

"What the hell?" a voice interrupted.

Hearing the two men cuss, I lifted my head to try and see the other guy. Lucky for him, he was too far in the dark alley for me to see him or anything else for that matter.

"I told you to give her a message, not beat the shit out of her!" he yelled.

My eyes furrowed and my head started getting fuzzier. _I know that voice…_

"Is she okay?" he asked the men.

The bent down and looked me over. "She's fine."

"We didn't know she would put up a fight!" the other guy argued.

"I don't care. She is…" I heard the boss dude sigh.

"Never mind. Let's go before they find us." He said to the two men.

They nodded, giving me one last glance and then walked off with the boss dude. A few minutes later, after laying on the dirty ground, I pulled myself up to lie against the wall. My ribs hurt and my head was throbbing with pain. I started getting up, leaning down on my hand to help me up, when I let out a hiss of pain. There was a huge gash in my arm from when they first tried to hold me down.

_Great…just great._ I huffed to myself.

Finding a new idea, I began sliding my body to the standing position by sliding my back up against the wall. When I found enough energy to walk, I began making my way home, occasionally wincing in pain.

Wet and in pain- _Man, the day just can't get any better… _


	4. Chapter 4

Making my way back to the front of the old warehouse, I carefully slid the door open, making sure not to injure myself anymore. I kept my head down and my body turned away from all of the guys, who just happened to be talking in the middle of the nicely lit up with only my eyes, I could see Yusuf trying to be polite and smile.

I flashed him one back and continued to hang up my bag and outside scarf.

"Where's your coffee?" Arthur asked curiously.

I bit my lip and tried to think of something. _Think Ariadne, think!_

"Obviously the lady decided to wear it." Eames comment.

Trying to lighten the mood, I smiled a little. When I was finished putting away my muddy shoes and things, I began walking to my room. They all watched me, trying to give me a light smile. As I turned away, I could see the lightness in Arthur's eyes disappear.

"What happened to your arm?" he asked coming over to me.

"What?" I asked a little startled on how he came here so quickly.

He grabbed my wounded arm lightly and held it up.

"What happened?" he asked again.

I watched as he examined the bleeding wound, his features showing worry and concern.

"Nothing, I'm fine." I told him and pulled away quickly.

"Ari…" he spoke to me as I made a mad dash to my room.

"I just need a second Arthur." I told him guiltily and then shut the door.

Turning myself on auto pilot, I began shedding my clothes and putting on some pajamas. I kept it light- A pair of dark green flannel pants and a black short sleeve shirt. When I was done getting changing, I just sat at the end of my bed, thinking about everything.

_Is this what its going to be like everyday?_

_Did I really see the man that attacked me from my dreams?_

_And who was the guy in the shadows?_

_What did everyone want to do with me?_

_And that voice….it was so familiar…_

A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Ari, its me…Arthur." He said. "Can I come in?" he asked with hope evident in his voice.

Composing myself, I nodded and got up off the bed. I unlocked the door and let him in.

My bedroom was dark. The only lighting I had on was…well nothing. The moon's light shone through my window, lighting my room.

I went back over to my spot on the bed and sat down, still thinking everything over. Arthur shut the door behind him and then took a seat next to me. He held his hands entwined together as his elbows rested on his knees.

"Are you-…what happened?" he asked, suddenly deciding to change his question.

My eyes looked towards him and shone with tears. I felt as if I was still in shock.

"I-…" I wanted to tell him everything, but I didn't know what to say.

_Was I supposed to tell him about the thoughts? And the dreams?_

He looked at my arm and then sighed.

"Let's get your arm fixed then."

He pulled me to the door, but I stopped with a halt.

"Ari…" he said.

"I-I can't…" I told him, my voice quivering.

"Its ok, I just want to get your cut cleaned up. Come on, it will be ok." He told me.

I stared at the doorknob one last time before nodding my head to him. He led me out in the open and I watched as he sat me on a counter. I stared off into the air, thinking about…everything.

It wouldn't leave my head. I couldn't get rid of all the information and events of the day.

Arthur watched me carefully, treating my arm gently. He rolled up the sleeve slightly and stole a quick glance at me. He then grabbed some things from the white first aid box.

My mind was still catching up with my body. He dabbed something cold onto the cut and I felt a small stinging sensation. Within a few minutes, he had the cut cleaned and bandaged up.

"There you go." He told me.

I slid off the counter, but then winced, feeling the soreness in my ribs. He looked at me curiously but I turned my glance to the floor.

"What else hurts?" he asked, coming towards me.

"Nothing." I whispered.

His body trapped me and I stood in front of him.

"Ari…" he whispered, looking down at me.

"See you in the morning." I said brokenly and rushed to my room.

When I was eloped into darkness again, I slid into bed and listened to the outside world.

"What do you think happened?" Eames's voice asked.

"I don't know. She wouldn't tell me anything." Arthur said.

"Well whatever happened, it wasn't good. Yusuf, have you found anything on the chemical compound?" he asked me.

"No, nothing was wrong with it. I don't know why she was just stuck in the dream…It doesn't even seem possible." Yusuf answered.

"But it is." Arthur commented. "If you haven't looked at her…something happened. Something truly scared her while she was under." He said angrily.

"Alright man." Eames said.

"Did the case ever leave your sight?" Cobb asked, to who I guessed was Arthur.

"No, never. It's in my possession at all times."

"And you didn't find anything wrong or maybe a mishap in the machine?" Cobb asked.

I could tell Arthur was offended. The way his voice shook, it was like Cobb's words had hurt him.

"No, I didn't find anything. Everything was working fine. I did every system check possible. Don't you think I would have done that immediately after this happened?"

I closed my eyes tightly; I didn't want to hear anymore. Once again, I woke up in a cold sweat. Another dream…or nightmare you could say. I bit back a groan as I dove for my chess piece.

Flicking it over, it fell with a small thud. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and tired to get a hold of myself.

Sitting up in bed, I calmed my breathing and looked outside. It was morning already.

_Well at least I slept through the whole night…_ I grumbled to myself.

I shakily slid out of bed and faced everyone. My eyes first darted to Eames, who was sitting on a stool reading the paper, with his back to the kitchen at an island table we use as workspace.

"Morning darling." He chimed to me.

I gave him a smile. "Hey Eames."

"Ahh and so the lady talks." Arthur teased, from the table in the kitchen. He too was reading the morning paper with coffee in his hand.

"Is their any coffee left?" I asked him.

He nodded and pointed to the pot. "There should be a little left."

As I poured my coffee I heard a cabinet slam shut and I jumped. Coffee spilled all over the floor and I groaned.

"Someone seems a little jumpy today." Mr. Craft said with a smirk on his face.

I glared at him and then slowly bent down to clean up the mess. My body was aching in protest but I continued to clean up the spill. Arthur came over to help, giving me a small smile and a towel.

"Gosh I'm stupid." I whispered to myself.

"It's fine." Arthur whispered to me.

"You missed a spot." Craft snickered.

I looked up to him, along with Arthur and glared.

"And apparently she's not a morning person either." Craft commented.

Having enough of his snippy little comments, I stood up and grabbed my cup which still had some coffee left in there. Walking over to him, I glared and then 'accidentally' poured the liquid all down the front of his shirt.

"Oops." I said forcefully.

Craft glared at me as I shook out the drips of coffee still in the cup on his shirt. Snickering from Eames and Arthur could be heard clearly against the tense kitchen.

"Hope you brought some extra clothes." I told him.

Craft disappeared, fussing over his 'lovely' shirt while I kneeled back down to the floor to finish cleaning the mess.

"Nice going darling. I think I am starting to like this side of you." Eames said.

I let out a laugh and looked over my shoulder. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"What the hell happened to Craft?" Cobb asked confused. Apparently as Cobb was coming out of his room Craft was heading for the bathroom.

Eames let out a laugh while Arthur and I smiled.

"He had an accident. What can I say? He really isn't a morning person." I said convincingly.

Arthur and Eames laughed again as Cobb gave me an eyebrow.

"Alright, well I am glad to see you feeling better." He said and walked away from our mess.

The kitchen became silent again, and the mood seemed to dampen at his words.

"Well, I better start getting to work. Thanks for the help." I told Arthur as I stood up.

He nodded and watched as I made my way to the work space. Within an hour or two, I found myself having a hard time concentrating again. I already tried showering and getting dressed, but nothing was working. My mind kept wandering to over how familiar Mr. Craft looked and what the hell happened to the sleep machine thingy.

I stared at him as he talked with Cobb and more questions popped into my head.

Not finding anyone more knowledgeable, I hopped off my stool and made my way over to Arthur's office. I stuck my hands in my pockets and waited at the head of his desk.

"Ari? Everything ok?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

I nodded and looked back to Craft. He was still in deep conversation with Cobb at the other end of the room.

"What do you know about him?" I asked, nodding over to Craft.

He glanced at him and then me.

"He's clean. Why?" he asked, generally interested.

I sighed and sat down on a chair he had across from his desk.

"Something is familiar about him -and I can't shake it."

He looked at me even more intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"Its like-…" I sighed and then thought about how to explain this.

"You know when someone asks you a question, and you swear you know the answer, but you just cant seem to think of it at the moment? Like its familiar to you, and on the tip of your tongue, but something is just holding you back from the answer."

He nodded and waited for me to continue.

"Well that's how I feel with him. I know I have seem him before…I knew him or something…I just can't figure it out."

"Hmmm…" Arthur said and sat up from his old position.

"I will see if anything pops up in his history."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you."

He looked up at me and then tilted his head. "This has been really bothering you hasn't it?"

I shrugged. "Yea, I guess."

"Well then what else has been bugging you?"

I looked at him and then bit my lip.

_Do I tell him? Do I trust him?_

I shook my head. _Of course I trust him. He's Arthur, he knows me…the real me._

"Ari?" he questioned softly.

"Do you-…" I started but then shook my head again.

I ran a hand over my forehead and thought of what I wanted to say without sounding like an idiot.

"Is it possible to see things in your dreams that are in your future?" I asked him.

He looked at me surprised and furrowed his brows.

"I-I truthfully don't know. That would probably be something for Yusuf…"

I nodded, feeling a little depressed he didn't know.

"…but can you tell me what brought that question on?"

I watched him for a second, measuring what he thought of me.

_Well at least he didn't think I was crazy…_

Just as I was about to respond, explaining everything to him, Cobb's voice rang out.

"Meeting guys, now."

Arthur and I both sighed in frustration, and walked over to the rest of the team. Unfortunately, Craft was also joining us on this lovely talk.

Cobb began talking and saying things, but I wasn't paying attention. My eyes focused onto craft and his familiarity.

_I know I have seen him somewhere…_

"Ariadne?" Cobb's voice rang out.

"What? Yea." I said, clearing my throat to focus on the conversation.

When the long boring meeting was over, Cobb pulled me aside.

"What's going on with you Ariadne?"

I bit my lip. "I-…."

"Nothing. Just having one of those off days." I huffed.

Cobb looked at me for a second and then let it go.

"Alright, but try and listen next time ok?"

I nodded and waited for him to leave. "Are you done with the models yet?"

I shook my head and bowed my head in embarrassment.

Cobb pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Fine, then get working. We are going into the dreams again tomorrow afternoon."

Before I could get in another word, Cobb walked off and I was left there standing alone. Putting myself on autopilot, I walked over to my work station and began working.

"Are we going to finish talking?" a voice rang out beside me.

My head turned and found Arthur looking at me and my work.

"I-I can't." I stuttered. He was so close to me I could smell his cologne.

"Cobb needs me to finish these by tomorrow afternoon, and im at least two days behind on work."

Arthur nodded and watched me carefully. "Everything is going to be ok you know. And I will look into him." He said nodding over to Craft.

I popped my head up and studied Craft for a second.

"Thank you." I whispered.

He nodded, watching me a little longer, before walking away. A few seconds later, just as I was getting back to work, Eames came up to me. Propping himself up on my desk, he wore a smirk on his face.

"Now, is it just me or is there something going on between you and the point man?"

I sighed in frustration and looked up to him.

"It's just you Eames."

"Hmmm…" he let out.

"What?" I groaned as he made no effort to leave.

"Nothing darling, its just…I've noticed recently…."

I waited for him to continue, finding myself impatient.

"Eames." I huffed.

His eyes were watching Arthur who was on his laptop at his desk. Before I could nag Eames again, Arthur looked up to us. He raised an eyebrow to Eames who was smiling and looking at him, and then gave a small smile to me.

As Eames continued to grin at him, Arthur looked to me with confusion all over his face.

I shrugged my shoulders and then pointed to Eames and twirled my finger, telling Arthur Eames has gone crazy.

"I saw that darling." Eames said to me.

I let out a laugh and then went back to work.

"You saw that didn't you?" he asked me after a few seconds.

Turning away from my work again, I looked up at Eames.

"Saw what?"

"Many things darling; First off, he looked up at us."

"Probably because you were talking about him." I said.

"Secondly, he gave you a smile and me a glare." He told me, ignoring my previous comment.

"Maybe cause he doesn't seem to be very fond of you." I supplied.

Eames rolled his eyes. "Then explain why he keeps looking over here every few minutes-"

"Maybe because you are here distracting me." I said with a smile.

"ah ah!" he said with a grin. "You didn't let me finish darling."

I rolled my eyes and let out a huff as I waited for his so called evidence.

"Why does he keep looking over here every few minutes, even when im **not** here."

I sat there thinking for a second and then rolled my eyes again as I saw Eames smirking.

"What's your point Eames?" I asked.

"I believe the point man likes you."

I let out a small dry laugh and rolled my eyes. "You're still hitched on this theory?"

"Why of course darling. How could you not see it? The point man rarely smiles. But then you step into the room and it's like magic. His face is suddenly shining like the morning sun."

I laughed and shook my head. "As lovely as that sounds, I highly doubt it."

"You know im right." He told me.

I rolled my eyes and focused back on my work. "Sure Eames…whatever you say."

After a few minutes of silence, Eames hopped off my workspace and left me alone.

"What was that?" Arthur asked, coming over to me.

I looked up from all my disheveled papers and focused on him.

"Huh?"

"Eames." He supplied.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Eames was just being…himself."

Arthur let out a small chuckle and stared at me with his gorgeous brown eyes.

"So how's the work coming?"

I shook my head and brushed the hair out of my face.

"Its…going. Im still trying to perfect some of the models. I can't seem to get the measurements and details correct."

"Anything I can help with?" he asked.

Unfortunately, I shook my head again. "As much as I wish you could, it's just me."

"Alright, well call me if you need any help." He instructed.

I nodded with ease and watched him walk back over to his desk.

"And he's checking up on you too." Eames muttered to me as he walked by.

"Eames!" I laughed as he flashed me a smirk.

Arthur gave us both another look, but I ignored it, shaking my head and laughing in the process.


	5. Chapter 5

The clock read 6pm.

"Alright, im off to grab my kids from Miles. Anyone need anything before I go?" Cobb asked.

Looking up to him, panic crossed my face.

"Shit!" I swore and hopped out of my chair. Shoving things all across the table, I looked for a certain paper.

Everyone looked at me like I went insane…well everyone except Arthur. He had a nervous and scared look on his face.

"I forgot to give Miles my paper and it was due about 2 hours ago. Can I hitch a ride with you Cobb?" I asked him.

He shrugged and nodded. "Alright, let's go."

Letting out a relieved huff, I ran over to put on my shoes and coat.

"Thank you. I owe you one." I told Cobb.

He flashed me a smile and led me out the door. "I will hold you to that."

When we got to the school, I raced out of the car and into Miles's office.

"Miles, I am so sorry!" I apologized.

He looked up from his desk and at me with amusement.

"I just totally lost track of time and I know it's not an excuse but…"

He held out a hand and I lowered my paper onto it.

"Thank you." I said sighing in relief.

"Daddy!" kids yelled.

I spun around and saw Cobb on the stairs, waiting as his kids ran for him.

"Hey." He groaned as they hit him with force.

Smiling, I turned back to Miles and continued to apologize.

"Im so sorry Miles. It won't happen again. I promise."

He sighed and took off his glasses. "Don't make a promise you can't keep."

I shook my head and looked him straight in the eye. "I intend to keep this promise."

He nodded and then took something off his desk to hand to me.

"The next assignments. Due Wednesday."

Biting my lip, I calculated the days. _Great, two days to finish two projects, not counting Cobb's._

Turning back around to Cobb, I watched as his kids laughed and hugged him as he played around with them. Deciding to introduce myself, I kneeled down to the blond haired girl.

"Hi, I'm Ariadne." I smiled.

She smiled back and then looked at her dad. Cobb gave her a nod and she took my hand.

"Hi, im Phillipa."

We continued to talk awhile and I played with the children, along with Cobb. Even though I really enjoyed Phillipa, I really liked James. He was pretty much attached to my legs and had me laughing non stop.

"Ariadne, did you need a ride back?" Cobb asked finally.

I shook my head and smiled at his beautiful kids. "No, im fine. I can catch a cab."

"Are you sure?" he asked doubtfully.

"Yea, don't worry about me. Go have fun with these guys." I said, ruffling James's hair as he hugged my legs.

He gave a tiny squeal and laugh as I picked him up and twirled him around.

"Come on guys." Cobb said.

James's face lowered in sadness and he turned to me.

"Go on, I will see you later man." I laughed to him.

His face grew into a smile and he hugged me one last time before running to Cobb.

"Bye Ari!" Phillipa yelled, waving as she walked up the stairs.

I waved back and then turned to the professor.

"How's the job going?" he asked when all was silent again.

I shrugged and leaned back towards the student's desks.

"Stressful."

He nodded, accepting the answer. After talking for a while, the professor began packing his things and heading out. We walked out with each other onto the street and he waited till I hailed a cab.

"Thanks again professor." I said.

He gave me a smile and nodded. "Make sure this one isn't late."

When I got back to the warehouse, Eames, Yusuf and Arthur were putting on their coats.

Craft seemed to be missing again.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" I asked, hanging up my stuff.

"Going to get something to eat. Care to join us?" Arthur asked.

I debated it with myself for a second before sighing. "I can't. I have to start on these projects for school and finish the models Cobb wants by tomorrow. Rain check?" I asked him.

He gave me a sad smile and nodded. "Alright. I will hold you to that."

As I watched them leave Eames walked by me. "Ahh the young love."

"Eames!" I yelled, shoving him lightly while laughing again.

He gave me one of his famous smiles and then turned to find Yusuf. As he walked away, Arthur was coming back up to me.

"Did you want me to bring you something back?" he asked.

I saw Eames smirking at me from behind Arthur's shoulder, and I sent him a playful glare. Arthur turned around and saw Eames giving us a smile.

"Sure." I answered Arthur, still laughing a little because of stupid Eames.

"Anything in particular?" he asked amused at my laughing of Eames.

"Nope. Im not picky at all. So whatever sounds good I will take." I smiled to Arthur.

Just as Arthur was about to say something more, Eames popped his head back into the warehouse.

"Come on my little love bird. We will be seeing her in a few hours."

I bowed my head, blushing and laughing as I heard Arthur mutter incoherent words under his breath.

"Alright, I will be back." He told me, touching my arm in a comforting manner.

Flashing him a super bright smile, I nodded. His touch gave me butterflies in my stomach. When his hand left my arm and he walked away, I felt a little sad and well… depressed.

Arthur always brightened my day. He always knew the real me- the one where I didn't have to pretend or be someone else. Few minutes after they left, I went to work. It seemed like hours passed by till I finished the models for Cobb. When I finally decided to take a break, I walked over to the lawn chairs. I felt a little nervous and scared, but I sat down anyways. Feeling that rough plastic outside material of the chair and the cold metal arm rests made me shiver a little.

After I finally got comfortable, my eyes began to droop and I was out like a light. The images of the attacks racked my brain. It was like I couldn't do anything but watch.

Kick after kick I felt myself want to cry.

"Ari!" someone called to me.

I tired to force the men off me, but it wasn't working. They were too strong. The two men pinned me down while the other man came at me with a knife.

"Ari! Ariadne!" the voice called again.

_The man stabbed me…right in the heart._

I gasped for breath and tried to get up.

"Ari! Its ok, it's ok. It's just me." Arthur said, holding my arms down. My body was shaking with fear and I felt on the verge of breaking down. I tried to calm myself, taking deep breaths again and again. Arthur rubbed his thumbs across my arms, occasionally making circular motions.

"Good, just breath." He instructed.

When I felt more in control, I looked at him scared.

"What happened?" I asked.

He shook his head and looked at me.

"I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me that."

I swallowed hard and tried to gather my thoughts.

"I fell asleep." I said after a minute.

"Damn it." I cursed under my breath.

Swinging my legs over the chair, I got up and rubbed my hands over my face.

"Are you afraid of falling asleep?" he asked me.

My face paled and I froze in place.

"I-…"

"Ari." He said softly, almost pleading for the truth.

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Yes, im afraid of falling asleep."

He sighed and came over to hug me.

"You can tell me anything, you know that right?" he asked as he rubbed my hair.

I snuggled into his chest further, listening to his heart beat and smelling his cologne.

"I know." I whispered.

A few minutes later, he we pulled away and put a hand on my cheek. We stared into each others eyes for a few seconds as he ran his thumb over my cheek bone.

"I promise you, everything will be ok." He told me. I bowed my head at the ridiculous promise and stepped back a little.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." I answered, thinking of the professor.

"Ari." He said, grabbing my hand in his and pulling me to him.

"I can keep this promise."

"How?" I asked doubtfully.

"Because I will always be here for you." As he stared into my eyes, showing me how truthful he was being, I brought myself closer and hugged him. I know I could regret it later or maybe even be really embarrassed by it; but right now, I just really needed him. I really needed him to comfort me and whisper what I believed could be the truth.

As we stood there, just holding each other, I thought about Eames and how he would be bursting with joy.

"Where is Eames…and Yusuf?" I asked Arthur, pulling away confused.

He let out a laugh and brushed some hair away from my face.

"They are still at the diner probably. I let early to give you the food I picked out."

I smiled at him sweetly, and felt a little bit embarrassed. He walked over to pick up the brown paper bag of food from the floor by the lawn chair.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-…"

"Fall asleep?" he supplied as he brought me the bag.

I blushed even more and nodded. "Yea. That."

He shook his head and brought me close.

"Don't ever apologize for that." He kissed my head quickly, and turned away from me.

My insides were doing a happy dance and I smiled.

"Hey." I said and turned him to look at me by the shoulders.

I could see him putting up a mask and looking at me like nothing happened. I stared into his eyes, showing him how much I really cared for him and liked him. He analyzed my eyes down to the core. In that moment, it was like I trusted him completely and he saw that.

He began to slowly lean into me; his lips capturing mine.

The kiss was amazing. It was sweet and soft, yet showed the passion and love that was starting to grow. When we broke away, I was smiling like a fool. I knew he would be scared to see how I would react to his kiss. When he saw my bright smile, he flashed me one back.

"So what's my dinner?" I chimed.

His eyes shone bright with happiness and lightness. He slid the bag that laid on the table closer to him and he stuck his hand in.

"Well…after examining the menu over and over, with a thousand complaints from Eames of course…"

I let out a laugh, just picturing Eames and his all of his complaints.

"I decided to get you a burger and fries."

"perfect." I said and then took the burger from Arthur. I unwrapped the yummy food from its wrapper and immediately took a bite.

"Good job." I complimented with my mouth full of food.

He let out a laugh and sat by me at my work table.

"So did you get much done?" he asked as I ate.

I nodded and then swallowed before talking.

"Yea, I finished Cobb's models. I haven't had a chance to start the school work yet though. I took a break and well…you know the rest."

He nodded, looking at me and then the lawn chair, where I once sat. For a while, we talked about the most random things, and then we talked more about present day and the mission.

"So, are you ever going to tell me what happened in your dreams?"

I froze in place and then met eyes with him.

He let me take a second for myself, just gathering my thoughts.

"I can tell its haunting you." He commented.

I closed my eyes and tried not to think of the scary dreams.

"Hey." He said, brushing the side of my face with his thumb. My eyes fluttered open and I looked at him.

"Remember what I said?" he asked me.

I nodded and gave him a small smile. It was then that I told him everything. From the dream when I was caught under the sedative to my dreams when I am naturally asleep.

He listened to me with patients and never interrupted me. When the words got hard to say, he would touch me and try and comfort me in some way.

"Ari, I want you to promise me, that if anything like this happens again, you will tell me."

I looked up at him, puzzled.

"I don't want to see you hurt like that ever again, and im not letting you go through all of that pain alone again either. So please…just promise me." He pleaded.

I nodded, getting up from my seat and taking the brown paper bag, now full of my food wrappers.

"I promise." I said kissing his cheek, before wandering off to throw the bag away.

As I made my way out of the kitchen, Arthur came up to me and began tickling me.

"Ahhh." I yelled laughing. I could hear his jolly laugh in my ear as he continued his torment.

Some how, I got away from his evil fingers and ran into the main open room of the warehouse.

Unfortunately, Arthur was fast. He grabbed my waist from behind and began twirling me in the air. My giggles and smiles were cut short as Eames and Yusuf made their way back in.

"Ahh and the love birds have declared themselves actually in love." Eames stated.

Arthur and I both rolled our eyes and let go of each other.

"Shut up Eames." We both said and then went back to work.

A few times, Arthur and I would be sneaking glances at each other. I would let out a laugh to find him already looking at me as I turned my head over my shoulder to sneak a glance at him.

"Cute." A voice commented.

"Eames." I groaned as he once again came over and sat on the table.

"You love me darling, I know it."

"Of course. Did you need something?" I asked.

"Just saying goodnight." He smiled coyly.

"Goodnight Eames." I smiled cheekily, practically telling him to go away.

He rolled his eyes, hopping down from the table and kissed me on the head. "Night darling."

I watched as Eames made his way over to Arthur, who im sure was to get bothered by Eames soon.

"Goodnight everyone!" a jolly voice called out.

I looked up and saw Yusuf waving to us from the end of the room.

"Yusuf!" I yelled and then hopped off my seat.

"Yes Ariadne?" He asked politely.

"Sorry to ask you this now, but I was wondering, is it possible to see things in your dreams that can happen in the future?"

He studied me curiously. "Does this have to do with anything about when you were stuck in the dream world?"

I nodded side to side a little. "Yea, kind of."

He looked at me, still generally curious. "I don't know for sure. I mean you probably could…I could look into more if you would like…" he said walking over to his desk.

"No that's alright…" I said politely, laughing silently as he sat down at his desk to work.

"You should get to bed. My answer can wait till morning." I said sympathetically. He debated with himself and then nodded.

"Alright. I guess it can wait. Goodnight Ariadne." He said and then headed for his room.

"Night!" I chirped and then continued to laugh at the poor chemist.

I walked back over to my work space and then shut off the desk lamp. Its time I went to bed too.

Walking over to Eames and Arthur, who seemed to still be talking, I gave them a smile.

"Sorry to interrupt boys, but im heading for bed. So…goodnight." I laughed.

Eames nodded to me, while Arthur looked conflicted on whether to kiss me or just bid goodnight. His romantic side must have won because he walked away from his desk and towards me.

We both stood in front of each other, just having our little moment. When it was time for us to kiss, we both looked at Eames who was watching us quite intrigued.

"Please, don't let me stop you." He said.

Arthur and I let out a laugh and looked back at each other.

He kissed me softly on the lips, letting our bodies come close and touch each other slightly.

"Goodnight Ari." He whispered.

"Night Arthur." I whispered back and then walked out of the room, smiling like a fool again.


	6. Chapter 6

For the first night since the accident, I woke up happy and nightmare free. I walked out of my bedroom with a smile on my face, feeling overly cheerful.

"Morning Eames." I said rolling my eyes as he gave me the look over. I knew he was saying some comment about my happiness in his head.

"Morning." I sang to Arthur as I walked in the kitchen for coffee.

He looked up from the paper and gave me a smile.

"Hey."

When I got my morning coffee, with no spilling or breaking of things, I sat across from him at the table and grabbed the comic section. I read a few, and then couldn't help but laugh.

_Oh, you gotta love the 'Pickles' comics._

Arthur looked away from his paper, just watching me.

"What?" I asked him with a smile on my face.

He shook his head, a small smile still on his lips. We went back to our newspapers, occasionally sipping our coffees.

"Oops." Craft said, hitting the table hard which knocked over the rest of my coffee in the cup as it sat peacefully on the table. I gasped and abruptly stood up as the hot liquid spilled all over my comic section.

Arthur glared at him as he sipped his own coffee. Just as he was about to get up and do something irrational, I grabbed a towel and began cleaning the mess.

I shot Arthur a look saying to ignore him when a hand slapped my butt.

Turning around with a deathly glare, I could see Craft looking all proud he just man handled me.

Arthur hastily got up from his chair, looking like he could kill the man. I looked over to Eames, and found that he too was standing up, prepared to break up a fight.

Walking over to Craft, I got real close to his chest, since I was too short to be face to face.

We battled eyes for a few seconds before I brought my knee up to his groin forcefully. He sucked in a breath and then let out a groan as he bent over in pain.

"That's for touching me with those grabby hands of yours. Touch me like that ever again, and I will be sure to do more damage then that." I threatened.

With that, I walked away, huffing at his stupid actions to get a rise out of me. I sat at my work station, getting ready to work. I put my somewhat curly hair into a ponytail, and began sketching my layout for the project.

"Nice going darling." A voice chimed from my left.

I looked up to find Eames half sitting on my table with a smile on his face.

"Are you ok?" Another voice asked me.

I looked over to my right and found Arthur sitting on one of the stools around the table.

"What is this, good cop bad cop?" I asked jokingly. The two men laughed a little, but waited for an answer.

Getting a little more serious, I stopped drawing and nodded.

"Yea, im fine. I mean, I can't really say the same thing for him, but I think he got what he deserved."

"He got off easy." Arthur growled.

Eames and I rolled our eyes and let out a laugh.

"Well I think our little Ariadne did a beautiful job taking care of the little bugger herself." Eames congratulated.

I let out a laugh, talking with my two favorite guys for a while.

"Alright, well we will let you get to work." Eames said after a while. He got off the table and waited for Arthur to walk away with him.

I nodded thanks to both Arthur and Eames then watched as they disappeared.

Continuing to draw, I found my concentration wasn't the best.

"Ariadne." A voice called to me politely.

I looked up to find Yusuf standing near his workspace, waiting for me. I gave him a questioning look, but got up none the less.

Walking over to him, he had me sit down in one of his chairs across from his desk.

"I looked into what you said about yesterday." He told me.

"But unfortunately, I couldn't find much."

Letting out a sigh, I looked at the professor. "Well what did you find?"

"Well…some scientists believe that it's common to see people from your dreams in reality. Your subconscious is taking details and such that are familiar to you and things you remember; hence the familiarity."

"But Yusuf, it wasn't like I was just seeing the people as I walked back, it was more like they were doing the actions that happened in reality."

He looked at me questionably, but I kept my eyes trained on my lap.

"Well then in that case I would say it would be your subconscious bringing up the memory. In the dream, the people are real because you are keeping them alive by fear."

_Great, so as long as I am afraid, the men will keep killing me in my dreams…_

"How do I fix it?" I asked Yusuf after a few seconds.

He looked at me sadly. "I don't know Ariadne. Face your fears. That's my only suggestion."

I bowed my head in sadness. _Would_ _I ever be able to enter a dream with the team then?_

"Im sorry it isn't better news." He said solemnly.

I shook my head and gave the Indian chemist a small smile. "You did your best. And I thank you for that."

Pushing my chair back, I walked away, thinking of what to do.

I sat down at my stool, looking at all the papers and pencils flooding my table.

"Alright, guys, come on." Cobb's voice rang out.

My heart accelerated and I looked at him.

"We need to do a practice run for the dream. Ariadne, come on." He said.

Letting out a shaky breath, I got off my stool and went up to him.

"Cobb…I don't think I can do this right now." I said in an unstable voice.

"What do you mean?" he asked in a sharp voice.

I wanted to curl up in a ball and sit in the darkness, but I knew I couldn't.

"I just…I can't go with you today."

Arthur's gaze was practically burning a hole in my back as I nervously watched an upset Cobb.

"You didn't finish the models did you?" he asked.

I looked appalled. "Of course I finished them. You asked me to do that and I did."

I let out a breath to calm myself and then back to him. "Look, I just…I can't do the job today. I need to umm…."

"Finish this thing for the professor and then drop it off." I lied finally.

"Cant it wait?" he asked impatiently.

I shook my head again. "Its worth a lot and I don't want to be treated differently in his class just because of this."

Cobb looked at me with an irritated look on his face.

"Fine." He growled. "But you're going in Thursday morning. We have some things to review and correct with you."

I nodded nervously and helped Dom pass out the lines. Giving one to Arthur, I didn't dare look into his deep brown eyes. His hand eloped mine as I handed him the needle and he looked at me scared.

"Its ok, im fine."

"Tell me later?" he said sort of questioning.

I gave him a smile and nodded. "Of course. Good luck"

Pulling away, I caught Cobb's stare, who was looking from Arthur to me.

He brushed away whatever he was thinking, sticking the needle in his arm and then went off to dreamland like the rest of the team. I stood there for a few seconds just watching all of them. They all looked so peaceful and dreamlike.

Taking my bishop out of my pocket, I set it on the lawn chair and pushed it over. It felt down perfectly and I scooped it back up. I went back to sketching things. The first project was easy and simple (but we didn't need to tell a certain Dom Cobb that.)

The silence in the warehouse was starting to get to me, so I turned on my ipod dock which sat on a shelf behind me, and played music. 'Just the Way You Are' played through the speakers and I instantly calmed down.

Finishing my work pretty fast, I looked over to the sleeping team. They still had about a half hour left. Leaving my seat, I grabbed my coat and shoes, getting ready to drop off the stuff to the professor. I walked back over to my table, grabbing the book and small print out model which was neatly designed on the white paper.

Looking back to the sleeping Arthur, I couldn't help but smile a little.

_He was even perfect as he slept._

I didn't know how long I would be, and I knew when Arthur got up he was expecting answers from me. So I got out a sticky note, telling him where I was going and that I would be back soon. When everything was set and I made sure I had everything, I took off by foot, enjoying the afternoon air of Paris.


	7. Chapter 7

I got back from the school a few hours later.

Walking into the warehouse, I found practically empty. A few lights were on, but everyone else was gone. Finding that unusual, I walked over to my desk and saw a sticky note with familiar handwriting.

_Went out for dinner, be back soon with your food._

_~A_

I smiled at the note and sat on the stool. Arthur was a guy that was just…different. He wasn't like the regular college kids and he wasn't a normal guy either.

He was perfect, inside and out. The way he would come here dressed in expensive three piece suits and his hair slicked back, only to be falling asleep on a dirty old lawn chair. He could always see through my guard and just…love me for being me. He always stood by me when something was wrong and was there to comfort me when I needed it the most.

_Arthur was by far, the best boyfriend ever._

After my over analysis about Arthur and the rest of my interesting life, I glanced over at the lawn chairs. There sat, on one of them, was the silver case.

Thinking about going under, I walked over to the case, opening it up and turning on the machine. I bit my lip, deciding whether or not to enter the dream world.

_You're going to have to do it Thursday…with Cobb and probably everyone else around you…_

Sighing, I turned on the machine and took out a line. I set the timer for 10 minutes and then stuck the needle in my wrist.

* * *

I was back in New York City again, practicing the models I just made. Everything looked pretty good to say the least. There were probably a few things that needed correcting…but nothing too major. I began wandering the city, enjoying the ways of free creation.

I knew my limits. When people started looking around too much, I knew I had to stop for a bit. At times when they would look at me, I thought about how Arthur had kissed me.

"_Quick, give me a kiss." He said._

_Without another thought, I leaned in and felt his soft lips hit mine._

_When I pulled away, I felt the butterflies in my stomach. Looking around, I found they were all still glaring at us._

"_They're still looking at us."  
"Yeah, it's worth a shot." He shrugged._

At that moment, when he tried to put off what he did nonchalantly, I swear I could see a small smile trying to make its way on his face. As I kept wandering the city, I noticed the man from my dreams again. And when I tried going a different way, the other guys from when I was awake, were closing in on me.

_No, not again._ I panicked in my head.

Suddenly, the men circled around me; I glanced at the shadows and found a certain dark figure present. He stepped out from the shadows and I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Hello sis." He smiled.

* * *

My lungs were burning for a breath of air. When I woke up, it was nothing like I had experienced before.

"Ariadne. Darling; Its ok, it's just me. You're safe." He said over and over, trying to comfort me like Arthur does.

"Wh-what…" I asked, still catching my breath.

"Where is everyone?" mostly hinting for Arthur.

Eames caught my drift and a ghostly smile appeared on his face.

"They should be on their way back soon. Arthur wanted to drop off your food, but I insisted since I have a date to freshen up for."

"You have a date?" I asked, smiling a little.

He brushed some hair away from my face and nodded. "It's not that hard to believe. Most people find English men very attractive."

I let out a laugh and flashed Eames a smile. Only he could cheer me up at a time like this.

"Are you alright?" he asked seriously.

I gave a small nod and pulled the needle out of my wrist.

"I'm fine…just a…bad dream." I thought.

Eames gave me a look showing me he wasn't stupid. That answer wasn't going to fly much longer.

"I'm fine Eames…really. But umm…thank you. For being here when I woke up."

He nodded and got up. He held a hand out for me and I took it with grace.

"You know you can tell us anything right?" he told me.

I gave a small knowing smile. "I know. I just-…"

"Hey, we're back." Arthur's voice chimed.

He looked from Eames to me and then his face became serious.

"What happened?" he asked.

I shook my head and gave a smile. "Nothing, im fine. Everything is good."

Arthur looked to Eames, who was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. He took a look around the room and found the case still open.

"Did you go under?" Arthur asked me.

I looked at him nervously and then bit my lip.

"Why didn't you wait for one of us?" he asked, with his voice getting louder.

I waited for him to lecture me or tell me my actions were stupid, but they never came.

"It was fine. I just wanted to make sure everything was ok for when I had to show Cobb on Thursday."

"You could show me now." Cobb said, coming up to us.

I visibly paled, but he looked kind of expectant.

"Sure." I said nervous.

He and I walked over to the silver case and took out two lines.

"Set it for 10 minutes." He told Arthur.

Arthur nodded and then gave me one last look before pressing the center button.

* * *

Cobb and I entered the dream world, just like I did a few minutes ago.

"Show me." He commanded.

I nodded to him and then brought my models and ideas to life. We walked around; he watched as I explained things to him and gave me some tips.

At one point, our chatter had become silent. The sun was starting to set against the buildings and I saw the men and my brother start to come closer to us.

"So are we done?" I said antsy to Cobb.

He looked at me kind of confused but nodded. "Yea, I guess."

I swallowed hard and he took a gun out from behind his back.

I shoved the gun to him and nodded. "Go ahead; I will be right behind you."

He looked at me weirdly again but nodded. Without another thought, he shot himself in the temple and was dead to the world. Taking a glance back, I found my brother and all the men looking at me.

I bent down, taking the gun from Cobb's dead hands and stared at them.

"How are you alive?" I asked my brother.

He looked at me, with that knowing look I seemed to miss. "Who says I was ever dead?"

My eyes became wide and my pulse raced.

"Mom and Jack…they…-"

"Don't take the job." He told me.

I looked at him like he was crazy. "I can't; I can't just-…"

"Yes, you can. And you have to."

"Or what?" I asked.

"Or this." He said and then one of the men shot me right in the heart.

* * *

I woke up again with a start.

"What took you so long?" Cobb asked nervously.

"I-…just needed to get used to the fact I had to shoot myself to die before I could actually do it." I said lying through my teeth.

I briefly ran a hand over my heart and snaked it around my neck.

_Just a dream…_

I grabbed the chess piece from my pocket and flicked it over on my chair.

_Just a dream._ I chanted to myself again.

"Alright, well since Ariadne is pretty much prepared, I am going to move the mission up. Be ready by tomorrow night. We will go in then." Cobb said and then went to grab his coat and go home. After he left, I just sat there gathering my thoughts.

_He couldn't be alive…they told me he was dead…he died._ I told myself over and over.

"Ari?" Arthur asked, bending down to me.

I looked at him with teary eyes and took a deep breath.

"Come on." He said guiding me to my room.

He sat us on the bed and waited for me.

"I still see them…the men that attacked me."

He looked at me sadly and then took one of my hands that laid on my lap in his.

"Whenever I am walking through the dream, and the sun is about ready to set, they suddenly come running through the crowd, trying to catch up with me." I sucked in a breath and focused on our hands.

"And when they do…I always die."

He looked at me, waiting for me to meet his eyes. When I did he brought a hand up to my cheek and brushed his thumb softly over my cheek bone. His lips descended on mine and he gave me a warm gentle kiss. It was slow and loving. A kiss showing me how much me loved me and was there for me.

When we pulled away, he continued to rub my face.

"Get some sleep. I will be here when you wake up."

Nodding slowly, I got up from the bed and grabbed my stuff to change.

When I came out of the bathroom, he was still sitting there, waiting for me.

I crawled into bed, waiting for him to follow me. He brought our bodies close together and brushed his thumb over my hip bone, comforting me by making circular motions.

I stared into his dark chocolaty eyes, feeling my body begin to relax. Within minutes, I fell asleep into Arthur's warm arms.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning when I woke up, Arthur was still holding me. We hadn't moved much from when we had fallen asleep. His hand was now on my face, stroking my face again. I snuggled into him closer, loving the feel of him beside me.

"Morning." He said softly.

My eyes fluttered to him and gave a small smile.

"Hey."

We stayed in bed a little longer, just holding each other. It was when Eames was yelling that we got up to check what was going on.

"You're unbelievable!" he yelled to Cobb.

"This isn't your problem Eames." Cobb said back

"Isn't my bloody problem? Im going into the dream with you!" he yelled.

Arthur and I looked at each other, quite confused, and then at the two men.

"What's going on?" I spoke up.

"Cobb here wants to move up the mission."

I looked at them confused. "Ok?"

"And he wants to go down another level and then shot his bloody self!" Eames said outraged.

I turned to Arthur and found him puzzled. Thinking about it for a second, I shook my head at Cobb.

"You can't go back down there for her."

He sighed and turned to face me.

"I have to. I just need to see her…" he whispered with sadness.

"Cobb, I know how much you loved her, but you can't go back there. Think about your kids…think about Phillipa and James. What would they do without you? They can't loose their dad again." I said softly.

His eyes filled with tears and he looked away from me.

"You don't know how it feels." He whispered.

"Oh bloody hell." Eames said frustrated.

Cobb's face hardened and he began to yell.

"You don't know what the hell it feels like!"

He lowered his voice and he continued teary eyed. "To be alone…to see so many things that remind yourself of her…to know she is there somewhere…you just have to dream…"

I took a breath and looked at my hands. I knew what it feels like….because ever since I saw Jason in my dreams, I can't seem to get it out of my head.

"I know what it feels like." I whispered, taking a step closer to Cobb.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Arthur trying to stop himself from dragging me back and pulling me behind him. Turning my attention back to Cobb, I looked at him straight in the eye.

"I know what it feels like to loose someone…and to see them in your dreams. It haunts you; haunts you like an idea being planted into your head."

Looking away from everyone, I stared out one of the windows.

"You feel like that maybe just maybe if you deny it for long enough, it will go away, but it doesn't, does it?" I asked Cobb.

He shook his head, still watching me. I waited for a few minutes, resisting the urge to think about my dead brother, Jason. Finding my ground, I looked to Arthur and gave him the smallest smile I could muster.

"But you also need to think about reality- what you have right in front of you."

He closed his eyes and a tear fell to his cheeks. "Even without Mal, you still have a life Cobb. You have your two beautiful kids who love you with all your heart. You have a job, a house…and you have us." I whispered.

"You will always have us. Don't doubt that for a second."

"Touching." A voice interrupted.

My head snapped over to Eames and found Craft standing right next to him, a smirk on his face. As much as I wanted to go over there and beat the shit out of him, Cobb quickly wiped his face and walked to his room.

My heart melted for him.

When I turned back to Craft, I couldn't help but make a fist. The blood was cursing through my veins and all I wanted to do was make the man suffer. I took four huge strides over to him, and just as I was about to raise my hand and punch the bastard, Arthur came behind me and held me back. I struggled against him, pure rage on my face.

"Ari. Ariadne!" he yelled to me.

When I calmed down, he loosened his grip a little, but not letting go.

"What? No sentimental speech? Oh, im hurt." Craft said sarcastically.

This time, I really did try pulling away from Arthur.

How dare he take Cobb's life as a joke!

Craft stood there, arms crossed with a smirk on his face just watching me struggle against Arthur.

"Ari. Stop. Stop!" Arthur told me. "Let it go. He isn't worth it." He whispered in my ear.

When I went weak again, I couldn't help but tear my body away from Arthur and heading up for the roof.

"Oh, I think I hurt her feelings." Craft muttered from behind me.

I didn't stop though; I ignored his comment and kept walking. My curiosity did get the best of me though when a heard a sickening crack and groan. Sitting on the ledge of the roof…it always calmed me down.

I don't know if it was the way the wind blew across my face or the way I could dangle my feet and imagine I was flying.

Closing my eyes, I thought about what I said to Cobb. _Was I really ready to do this mission? And what happens if I do this? Was the man in the shadows really my brother?_

Rocks crunched from behind me and I knew it was Arthur. I could smell his cologne from the first moment he stepped out onto the roof. A body sat next to me, and I slowly opened my eyes.

"I punched him." He told me flatly.

I looked at him surprised and then towards his hand as he held it up.

"And you wouldn't let me do anything?" I whined as I took my hand in his. He let out a chuckle and stared at me with that amazing smile of his.

"Sorry." He apologized. I shook my head smiling and then leaned my head on his shoulder.

"When you were talking to Cobb…who did you-…"

"Lose?" I finished. He nodded, faintly blushing.

Taking a breath, I watched the sky and the white clouds around us.

"My brother…Jason." I told him.

"We were…he was…" I said still upset about the whole thing.

"Last night…when Eames found me totally freaking out after I went under…I-"

I let out a sigh and ran my hands over my face.

"It's ok." He said, implying I didn't have to tell him. Ignoring his comment, I continued to struggle with my words.

"I saw my brother. He caught up to me right after Cobb left the dream."

I looked down at our entwined hands, and felt Arthur squeeze them.

"He told me-…he said that I shouldn't do the job. And that he- he was alive."

Arthur looked at me for a long solid moment. "Is that possible?"

I shrugged my shoulders and swallowed down the lump in my throat.

"I don't know. My mom and Jack told me he was dead. They were my parents…or parental figures. There was no reason not to trust them."

"Anyways," I said with a breath. "That's how I knew I could relate with Cobb."

"Did you want to go back and see him?" Arthur asked.

I debated the thought for a second and then shook my head. "No, I think I am starting to like reality better."

He gave me a smile and then he leaned in to kiss me.

"Come on, let's get inside." I said refreshingly happy again.

"Wait." He said, pulling me away from the roof door.

I looked at him questionably but he kept looking at the ground.

"I don't think-…maybe you shouldn't go in and do this mission with us." He said carefully.

"Arthur." I sighed. Bringing us close together again, I took a hand and pulled his face to look at mine.

"I will be fine. Its just dreams. I know they aren't real."

"But there is a glimmer of hope inside you that wants it to be." He commented.

I set my head to the side. He was right about that.

"Yea, I guess so. But im not letting the team down; and I know I can do this job."

He sighed and brought my head to his lips.

"Alright, but please…just don't…"

"I know." I whispered to him and kissed him smack on the mouth. "You won't loose me Arthur, I won't let that happen."

We each gave each other little smiles and came down from the roof. When we met Eames, who was sitting in the kitchen, I looked at his gloomy face.

"Cobb didn't come out yet?"

He shook his head and continued to play with his totem. Not liking this depressing Eames, I began making some breakfast.

I set down a pop tart on a plate and passed it to him. "Pop Tart; a la box." I laughed.

He looked at me giving me one of those famous smiles.

"Well, who knew such a gorgeous girl could cook such a wonderful thing." He said sarcastically.

I sat down at the table across from him and began eating my own pastry.

"Hey! Don't diss my cooking skills!" I laughed.

Smiles began to appear on both the men's faces and I knew my job was done.

We talked about…nothing really. It was all random and very informative information.

"You started college at 16?" I laughed to Arthur.

He nodded a blush visible on his cheeks. "Damn." I exclaimed.

We talked a little more before dispersing and getting back to business. If this mission was going to happen tonight, we needed to tie up some loose ends. I sat at my desk, sketching a few things, when kisses were being placed all over the back of my neck and shoulder.

I let out a few giggled and turned to see Arthur smiling.

"Hey." I said letting out a little laugh.

"Need any help?" he asked.

I shook my head in sorrow and dropped my pencil.

"Nope, sorry."

He twirled my stool so I was sitting in front of him. He bent down slightly, capturing his lips with mine. We were pretty much making out till I thought of something.

"Did you ever find anything on Craft?"

He glanced at me for a second before going into the 'professional Arthur' or so I called it.

"No, unfortunately he has an immaculately clean record."

"Damn." I said kind of disappointed.

"Don't worry, we will figure it out." He said and kissed me on the cheek.

"Alright, let's get started." Cobb's voice rang out.

Arthur and I looked quite amused as he came looking out like nothing happened. We walked hand in hand to the lawn chairs and took a seat.

"We all know the plan correct?" Cobb reassured.

Everyone nodded including Craft. Craft was sitting a little ways from us, gleaming at me with a smirk. I looked at him strangely before ignoring him all together. It only took a few seconds to feel my eyes flutter close and Arthur squeeze my hand one last time.

Twenty minutes into the mission I thought I saw something.

Ignoring it, I went back to focusing on my cover.

"Everything ok?" Arthur's voice rang out to all of us who were on Comms.

"All clear." I told him and watched the people pass by.

It was just Arthur, Eames and I who were on comms since Cobb and Craft had the two most important roles to play in this dream.

A flash of black crossed my eye sight and I quickly turned my head.

_Nahh, it can't be anything. _I told myself.

Looking up, I found my brother walking in the hotel I bar I was currently at.

"I told you not to take this job." He said softly.

My heart began to race and I looked around for his body guards.

"You don't remember him do you?" Jason asked me again.

"Who?" I asked.

Jason turned to me and I felt my heart break. Everything about him made me want him back. He was everything to me for such a long time that it was the hardest thing to get over when I learned he died.

"They aren't the people you thought they were." He said cryptically again.

"Jase, I don't know what your talking about." I told him.

"Darling, who are you talking to?" Eames asked.

"Ari…" Arthur said cautiously.

"Take care of yourself Ar." Jason said before getting up and walking away.

"Jase!" I called.

A bunch of heads turned to me and I ducked my head. Walking out of the bar, I scanned my eyes around the place for him.

_Where could he have gone?_

My eyes shot to Craft, who was flirting up a projection. My heart stopped beating and I stood there frozen.

It was him.

Craft must have caught my gaze because he watched everything about me and then panic crossed his face.

"Arthur." I said panicky.

"Ari?" he asked.

"I know why he looks familiar." I said into the comms.

Craft began walking off with huge strides.

"How?" he asked sharply

"He was the last person my brother talked about."

Not thinking, I ran off to find Craft.

"What? Ari, that doesn't make sense."

I shook my head and ran out of the building. "It does, trust me. I have to find him." I breathed and then took off in a random direction.

"Ari, no! We have a job to stick to." He said.

I thought about Arthur's words for a second and then the thought hit me.

"Shit!" I yelled and increased my speed.

"Arthur, this isn't right, it's a trick! We can't go through with this. You need to get Cobb out of there!" I yelled into the comms and then roamed my eyes for Craft.

I found him trying to blend in with the rest of the projections.  
As soon as he spotted me, he was off. He was running down the street, pushing projections out of his way. I noticed how they didn't look at me or Craft.

_Strange_. I noted.

A shot rang out from the city and I was hit in the leg. I gritted my teeth in pain and watched as Craft smirked. I pulled myself up, taking cover as the mystery person kept shooting.

Craft waved to me and then nodded. Immediately my head snapped to the man in all black. Without a flinch, he shot Craft, leaving him for dead.

I took a second to think, _why did he shoot Craft?_

…_To leave the dream!_ I yelled to myself.

I stood up slowly, groaning in pain. I turned back and found the man had run away and Craft still dead.

Adrenaline pumping through my veins, I took the knife from the butchers hand and stabbed myself in the heart.

Gasping as I woke up, I looked to Craft's seat and found it empty. I pulled the needle out of my wrist and looked all around.

_Where is he?_

A car screeched and my eyes darted to the door. The warehouse door was wide open, a breeze casting through the place. A black SUV car sped off heading into town.

"Damn it!" I yelled in frustration.

"Ari!" a voice called.

I turned around and found Arthur running out the door. His eyes found mine, and he hustled to meet me.

"Ari." He breathed in relief, hugging me tightly against his chest.

"He's gone Arthur. Craft is gone." I whispered, closing my eyes and hugging him back for dear life.


	9. Chapter 9

"What the bloody hell happened?" Eames asked as we walked back into the warehouse.

"We were played." I told them simply, sitting on the empty chair.

"Played?" Cobb asked.

I nodded to him simply, and thought about this whole situation.

"How were we played exactly?" the scientist asked with his hands in his pockets.

I rubbed my hands over my face and looked at them.

"You might want to sit down for this." I said, and then began my story.

I told them everything, just like I told Arthur, except this time I told them all about my brother.

"My brother…Jason." I said lowly.

"He and I were really close. We got even closer when our mom married this man named Jack."

I took in a breath and put a hand on my forehead. "Well one night, I went into my brother's room, nothing unusual. We usually hung out there- just sitting and talking. Well, that night, he looked really jumpy and nervous. And when I asked him about it, he showed me a picture- he took it on his camera when he was out walking one day.

This man, Craft, had been following him. He told me how scared he was and that something was wrong…he could just feel it, he told me."

I brushed away a tear and looked up to the ceiling to not think about the guilt that was slowly creeping up on me.

"I told him it wasn't a big deal…that maybe it was a coincidence."

Taking a second, I felt like hitting myself. "I brushed it off like it was no big deal."

Everyone looked at me with sadness in their eyes as I continued.

"Trying to cheer him up, I told him that we would go get some ice cream and make some homemade sundaes."

I smiled at the silly thoughts and moments with him.

"_Ooo, chocolate ice cream." I said while sitting on his bed._

"_With hot fudge." He added, sitting on his computer chair across from me._

"_Cherries." I said._

"_Chopped nuts." He challenged._

"_Bananas" I replied. He took a moment and then smiled at me._

"_Gummy bears."_

"_Gummy worms." I immediately added._

"_Whipped cream." He said proud._

_Getting stumped…I thought about it for a hard moment. _

"_Sprinkles." I smiled._

_His smirk dropped but quickly came back._

"_Spoons." He laughed_

_I chuckled at the response, but continued the banter._

"_A bowl."_

"_A fork." He said proudly._

"_A fork?" I laughed and laid back on his bed. "That so does not count!"_

"_Does too!" he said smiling at me._

_I shook my head, gazing at his ceiling. "No way, you sooo lost."_

_He rolled his eyes at me and then stood up, offering his hand._

"_Come on, I want to go get my sundae with all these crazy things on it."_

"_Spoons, bowls, and forks included?" I chuckled._

_His smile spread all the way across his cheeks. _

"_Of course! What kind of sundae would it be without those?"_

My smile was etched on my face till I realized it was now just a memory.

"But when we went downstairs, my mom and Jack were fighting. Unfortunately, we were there to interrupt it."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Since they were both overly angry, they allowed us only one of us to go out and get the things."

I swallowed hard and felt my face pale.

"I remember noticing how upset Jase looked when we interrupted the fight. It was like he was heart broken and a scared little kid again."

"So I let him go. I handed the keys to him and told him to bring us back everything we listed."

"And?" Eames asked.

I looked up at him sadly. "He never came back."

"Jase died on his way out of the parking lot, a car crash apparently."

"One hell of a crash." Eames murmured.

Everyone shot him a death glare; everyone except me.

"Yea, for some odd reason, I believed it. When my parents got the call and told me…I guess I was just so caught up in the guilt and pain that I didn't think twice about it."

Eames looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you saying you don't believe the crash?"

I nodded my head. "I don't believe it for a second. Something happened in the dream…something I can't explain; but there are just too many open ended questions for me to believe he is truly dead."

"What kind of questions?" Yusuf asked.

"Well for starters, why was Craft following him…and why is he here now? I'm positive he recognized me, and im one thousand percent sure that when I realized where I knew him from, he panicked."

"What else?" Arthur asked as I was silent.

"I think…I think he was the one that rigged my line- when I got stuck in the dream."

Arthur's eyes immediately became alert, along with everyone else's.

"He was the one that touched my first line. He held it to me and then did his own. He never gave you all one; just me."

They all thought about it for a second before I noticed how upset they were. Arthur's hands were clenched into fists and Eames was about ready to use every cuss word known to man. Yusuf was upset and seemed very puzzled, while Cobb looked upset he was played and trusted the man.

"So what now?" Eames asked.

"We drop the case." Cobb said highly upset.

"And split up." Arthur added.

"No!" I protested.

"Ari." Arthur said with a knowing tone.

"No. I am not letting this man just walk right into our lives and think he can play us. I don't care if he's dangerous and I don't care if he's working for something bigger. Im not letting him get away with this." I seethed.

"You sure you have a clear head about this?" Cobb asked, referring to my brother.

"Even if I didn't; I don't have anything to loose."

"Yes, you do." Arthur said.

I looked at him sadly. "I need to do this."

"Why?" He protested.

"Your brother is gone." He said gently.

I shook my head and resisted the urge to roll my eyes.  
"I know. Thank you."

"And revenge isn't going to bring him back." Cobb added.

"It may not, but it will sure as hell bring me closer." I said.

Everyone debated with this for a second.

"I'm in." Eames said.

Yusuf looked to Eames and shrugged. "Sure, why not finish the job."

I looked to Arthur and he nodded to me. "You already know my answer."

Lastly was Cobb. "You in?" I said.

He looked at me for a moment and then slowly but surely nodded. "I'm in."

* * *

Ever since then, I felt like I had been loosing pieces of myself. Here or there, it was like I was having a hard time on focusing on reality. At times I would get so caught up in the job, Arthur would have to steer me away from the table.

"Ari." He said, guiding me by the shoulders, away from the desk.

"Arthur!" I whined.

"Sit." He commanded, pushing me down lightly on a lawn chair.

Everyone gathered around me, pushing the chairs closer together.

"What's going on?"

"What's going on? Darling have you looked at yourself lately?" Eames asked.

I furrowed my brows and looked at myself.

"What?"

"Ari…" Arthur said, sighing sadly.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself. You're wearing yourself thin." He looked at me, with heart break in his eyes.

"Im fine. Everything is fine. I just need to get this job done." I explained.

While everyone lectured me, including Yusuf, Cobb stayed silent.

"Do you remember when I snapped and said I wanted to go back to limbo?" Cobb asked me.

I nodded, tired of this stupid intervention.

"What did you tell me?" he asked.

Sighing again, I answered the question.

"I said I know how it feels."

"What else?" he commanded.

"I said that denying it doesn't help-that you need to focus on reality, because you still have a life."

He nodded.

"Well I am here to tell you the same. Focus on reality. Because it's right in front of you. I know that whatever is fueling you is eating you up inside and we can't stand to watch it."

"I am focusing on reality!" I argued.

"No, you're not." Cobb said strictly.

"I-…What do you want me to do?" I asked weakly.

"Stop blaming yourself for one." Eames said.

I looked over to him and he gave me a nod.

"We all know it sweetheart. It's written all over your face. You can't blame yourself."

Admitting defeat, I ran my hands through my hair.

"I can't stop thinking about it. I should have…"

"What?" Eames asked.

"I should have been the one that left the house. I should have been the one to…"

"No." Arthur said softly.

"Stop-…stop thinking that way." He pleaded.

"It was my fault though…"

"No, no it wasn't!" he yelled getting angry.

"I-I can't stand watching you do this to yourself…I can't just watch-" he said getting upset.

"I-…" I watched as Arthur looked broke hum. I broke him.

"Im sorry, Im so sorry Arthur. I-I have to go." I said. Grabbing my bag off the floor, I ran out of the warehouse, tears pouring down my eyes.

I ended up back at my apartment. _Gosh, I haven't been here in forever._

I closed the door and set my bag down, wiping away the tears.

_What have I done?_

Going straight to bed, I didn't even change.

_How could I do this?_

I woke up in a cold sweat, my body shaking like a leaf. Pulling out my totem, I tipped it on the nightstand. It fell with a cluck and I laid back with relief.

This repeated, every night of every day. Sometimes I would wake up screaming, while other times it would be thrashing. In the mornings, I would make coffee and just sit on the couch, leaving myself to my thoughts.

I never once answered the banging door or called out to the men who yelled my name. I never even went out and walked around Paris. It wasn't until I finally looked in the mirror and examined myself.

_What was I doing?_ I asked.

That day; that was the day that I finally pulled myself together. I made my way to the outside world; heading for the gym. I wanted to make myself stronger…I needed to.

So everyday like clockwork, I would get up, have some morning tea or coffee and get ready for the gym.

When I would get home, I would get in the shower and then head for a day in Paris or classes. Calls and knocks came frequently to my apartment, but I never answered them.

I couldn't think about them…I didn't want to think about what I did. It was unexpected, though, to find Arthur at my door. He was just about to knock as I opened the door wide.

"Ari." He said amazed.

I looked at him stunned. In a none trying to offensive way, Arthur looked like crap. There were dark circles under his eyes, and the clean cut shaven man I had always pictured in my head looked a little worn.

"Arthur." I said surprised.

We stared at each other for a few seconds, before awkwardness started to set in.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, still holding onto my gym back that was strapped across my shoulder.

"I-..I came here to see you. You haven't been at the warehouse for a couple weeks and you didn't answer our calls or the door…" he said still kind of in la la land.

I nodded apologetically. "Yea, im sorry, I was just…adjusting."

_Adjusting? What?_ I criticized myself.

"What are you up to?" he asked, still staring at me.

"Actually, im just about to head to the gym. But um…how are you?" I asked.

Never before have I felt so awkward with Arthur. If anyone would have told me that in this day and age we would have shared this moment of awkwardness, I would have thought they couldn't be more wrong. But here we stood, just watching each other and having the most pointless conversation of my life.

"We need you back Ari." He whispered.

I bit my lip and leaned against the door. "Arthur." I said with a knowing tone that he always gave me.

"Ari." He pleaded. His eyes were full of sadness and hurt.

Whenever he said my name, it was like the butterflies would go crazy in my stomach. Being around him- smelling his intoxicating cologne, it was like wanting something you knew you couldn't have.

"I can't go back Arthur. I just can't. The way I lost myself and how I treated you…"

"It doesn't matter." He argued.

I looked at him like he was crazy. "Of course it matters. I lost it; completely. If you wouldn't have intervened I could have-"

"But you didn't." he cut in.

"Arthur…" I said sadly.

"After you left…and the hours turned into days…which turned into a few weeks…I couldn't help but think of you. Everyday of every hour you were a ghostly reminder of who I was."

"Arthur…" I whispered again brokenly.

"And you know what I realized?" he asked, completely ignoring me.

"What?" I said softly.

"I'd fallen in love you. You held some part of me that I couldn't get back. You found the real me and I couldn't get it back."

I looked at him shocked, freezing as he stepped closer to me. His hand went to cup my face and his eyes bored into mine.

"And so here I am. Standing at your doorstep…pouring out my heart and soul to you. I'm not just begging you to come back because the team needs you. I'm begging you to come back because I need you-because I cant finish this mission without you. Because I need you to remind me who I am and what im doing." He whispered.

I stared into his eyes, feeling happy and sad at the same time.

"Kiss me." I commanded.

"With pleasure." He said and then descended his lips on mine.

Oh, how I missed his lips. They were perfect against mine. We moved in sync with each other; tilting our heads this way and that way. I savored the moment of happiness and love- enjoying how his warm mouth felt against mine; and the way his hands brought me closer by tugging at my waist.

I made sure to remember how my hands felt in his hair and the way he wrapped himself close to me. He broke the kiss, slowly and regretfully. Our foreheads touched, not wanting the moment to end.

"I love you Ariadne; so please come back. I'm not going to let anything happen to you because I will be there every step of the way. Trust me like I trust you." He said.

I watched as he stared in my eyes, hoping I would come with him. As much as I wanted to, I had a question that nagged at my mind.

"How can you love me after I hurt you?"

He looked at me puzzled. "You left me worried Ariadne. You left me worried and fearful by the way you got caught up in everything. I promise it was nothing more than that."

"I wont let that happen again." I whispered to him with determination.

"Good." He smiled, giving me another kiss. We pulled away and I could see his eyes lighting up with happiness.

"So coming with me?" He asked.

I looked back at my apartment and to him. "I'm heading for the gym, so can I meet you after?"

"The gym?" he asked curious.

I nodded, laughing in embarrassment.

"Yea, but im coming. I promise." I said kissing him.

A smirk was plastered on his face and he grabbed my hand with his. He walked me down and out to the city.

"Meet you at the warehouse in a few hours?" I guessed. He nodded and squeezed my hand one last time.

"Quick give me a kiss." He said as a taxi came to get him.

Smirking, I brought myself closer to him and pecked his perfect lips.

"See you later point man." I laughed.

When Arthur's cab was out of sight, I walked down to the gym. I stretched on the mats before walking over to Bishop.

"Hey." I smiled.

The black muscular trainer looked at me suspiciously.

"Who drugged you? And what have you done with the real Ariadne?" he asked seriously.

I shook my head, laughing a little. "I didn't get drugged…well maybe by love; but it's really me. I promise."

"Love?' he said quirking an eyebrow.

"So you made up with that guy…Artie or something." He said.

"Arthur." I corrected, smiling like a fool. "And yes, I did."

"Well are you going to have a clear head or should we reschedule?" he smirked, as he watched me float around like a nutcase.

"Nope, I can handle it. Just let me find my inner anger." I smirked.

He shrugged and let me have a moment.

I tried, really hard to think of something that would get me upset…but the fact that I knew Arthur loved me…actually **loved** me; I couldn't stop smiling.

I heard Bishop laugh. "Alright come on. Lets get to work." He said.

We worked on self defense, karate, and even some positions to get out of if I was ever attacked.

"Well, then we are done for today." He said huffing for breath.

"Actually, I think this is the last lesson for me." I said as he drank water from his water bottle.

He looked at me in shock. "Oh, I see."

Looking at me again, he shook his head. "What? No goodbye gift?" he asked jokingly.

I let out an embarrassed laugh. "I-…"

"Ariadne, I was kidding. Relax." He laughed.

My cheeks flushed with a darker tint of pink.

"Thank you. For everything." I said as I collected my stuff.

He nodded in a professional manner and then came over to hug me.

"Take care ok? And come visit me sometime."

We pulled away and I nodded with happiness. "Don't worry; I will be back for a visit. Just don't get all rusty on me."

He let out a hearty laugh and shook his head. "Alright. I will try not too."

Hugging his side one more time, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness.

Bishop was a really nice guy. He may be a trainer, but he was a true gentleman. He always made sure we weren't pushing too hard and I really understood what I was doing.

On my way home, I couldn't help but think of what was next. _What was going to happen for me? For us. I corrected, thinking about a certain man in my life._

_Gosh, I have turned into a pile of mush_. I chuckled to myself.

When I got back to my apartment, I sped to the shower; jumping for joy at the fact I was going to be seeing Arthur soon. Changed into a pair of jeans and gray tee shirt, I took off looking for a cab to get me to the warehouse.


	10. Chapter 10

The cabby dropped me off at the front again, not worrying about what I was doing here.

"Thank you." I smiled and shut the door.

With full speed, I ran for the front door of the warehouse and sliding it open. I was instantly met with the face of Arthur who seemed to be at my work station.

The smile instantly grew on my face and I ran to him. His arms were open wide and he caught me with ease. I giggled as his arms hugged me tightly, laughing along with me.

"Ahh young love." A voice chirped.

"Eames!" I yelled, jumping off of Arthur and over to hug him.

I hit him with an 'oof' and hugged him tightly.

"I can see someone missed me." He laughed.

"Welcome back Ariadne." A voice rang happily.

"Yusuf." I said excitedly and ran to him too.

_Apparently I am in the hugging mood_. I thought to myself.

I felt kind of awkward as I hugged Yusuf cause his arms kind of just stayed at his side.

"Yusuf boy, when someone, particularly a girl, hugs you; you are supposed to wrap your arms around her too. Its like a mutual comfort type thing." Eames explained to the chemist.

Yusuf nodded in understandment and awkwardly hugged me back. When I pulled away my cheeks were flushed and the smile still on my face.

"Don't worry, we will work on it Yusuf." I joked.

"Ariadne?" a voice asked.

I turned around and saw Cobb. He was holding a file in his hand and his face shone with shock.

"Cobb." I smiled.

"You came back." He said quite surprised.

I looked to Arthur and rolled my eyes laughing. "Yea, I did."

He still stood there, looking at me like at any moment I could disappear. So, feeling in that odd mood, I walked over to him and hugged the man.

"Good to see you too Cobb." I laughed awkwardly.

He hugged me back lightly, almost as if I wasn't real.

"Its really me Cobb. I'm not going anywhere." I whispered.

A moment or two later, he really hugged me. "Its good to see you Ariadne."

When we pulled away, I noticed something.

"We have couches?" I said excitedly.

I quickly plopped myself onto one of them, enjoying how I slightly sank into the brown leather.

"Yea, your lover boy here decided to get us a couple of couches." Eames said, sitting on the exact same one across from us.

"A coffee table too?" I asked Arthur, still smiling like a fool.

He laughed and nodded with a blush visible on his cheeks.

"Sweet." I exclaimed and then put my feet up on it.

Everyone laughed at me and I rolled my eyes.

"So what have you been up to darling?" Eames asked.

"How do you know I've been doing anything?" I asked cryptically. Arthur came over and joined me on the couch, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Well since point man came back here solo with a big bloody grin on his face; and you walked in a few hours later with damp hair and a big bloody grin like his on your face, I only must assume you had something to do that you couldn't come straight back here." He explained.

I looked at him slightly shocked.

"What? It's my job to observe." He defended. "Plus, you look a little different. Better." He piped.

"You trying to imply something there Eames?" I joked.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh just answer the bloody question." He huffed.

"Impatient too." I laughed.

"Well, after pulling myself together, I started working out at the gym and really focusing on my studies. I wanted to make sure nothing like that happened again, so I changed myself."

"Work out at the gym eh?" Eames asked.

I nodded, still smiling as Arthur squeezed my shoulders. I laid my head on his chest and cuddled with him.

"Doing what?" he asked.

I shrugged. " Just worked up. Built up my stamina and worked on some self defense things."

"Really?" he said intrigued. I nodded my head, laughing at his thoughtful expression.

"What?" I asked as they all looked at me with a weird expression.

"Show us what you've leaned." Arthur encouraged.

"Where?" I asked.

"In our dreams love." Eames smiled.

I looked at them like they grew another head. Cobb looked at me kind of nervous.

"Are you guys crazy?"

"Oh, come on." Arthur teased.

"No way! I'm not going to punch you." I said laughing.

"Who says you'd get a punch in?" he teased.

I pursed my lips and tried to hide the aching smile that pushed its way through to my face.

His eyes shone with playfulness.

"Its not going to work. I'm not going to attack you."

He pouted a little, to which I rolled my eyes at.

"Then fight against me." Eames volunteered.

I shook my head again. "You guys have all gone crazy. I'm not going to beat you up either."

"Come on." Eames coxed. "It's just a dream. You wouldn't really come out with injuries, right Yusuf?"

Yusuf nodded. "When you wake up you would be perfectly fine."

I rolled my eyes looking at Arthur. "Seriously? You really want to do this?"

He gave me one of his famous smirks and his eyes danced with mine.

I gave in with a huff. "Fine."

Cobb smiled, along with the rest of the team.

A silver case was slid out from under the couch and brought on the table. We each took our lines and stuck the needles into our wrists. Arthur hugged my shoulders, bringing us back to our old position.

"See you in a second." He said and squeezed my hand.

"That you will." I responded as I laid my head back on his chest.

* * *

Seconds later I was in the dream world.

We were in some building with mats all around us. It was all very...Matrix movie like. I looked down at my clothes and found I was wearing the same ones that I had on this morning.

"Interesting." I said to Arthur, who was smirking at me.

Arthur was wearing a tight short sleeve black shirt with pants that almost looked pajama like.

"Alright, lets get this show started!" Eames said excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

I rolled my eyes and concentrated on Arthur.

"Whenever your ready lads." He said.

Arthur and I circled each other for a while just watching each others moves.

Eventually, he ran to me and mad the first move. It was an easy block, of course, I didn't see his other hand which tried to grab me and flip me to the ground.

We went around like this for a while, me mostly on defense while he was on offense. It was until he knocked me to the floor that I started going on offense. I took a few swipes at him, occasionally hitting him.

At one point, I actually did a flip out of his arms and everyone gasped.

"Give up yet?" I whispered from behind him.

I could see a smirk stretch his face as he looked back slightly.

"Never." He said and grabbed my waist from behind.

He brought me to face him and I dragged us to the ground. We somersaulted across the floor and ultimately he landed on top. His legs pinned my waist and he hovered above me.

He smirked with victory. "Nice try."

A quick peck on the lips is what I got before he pulled away and I moved so I was the one on top. I took my legs and grasped them to incase his waist, somewhat like he had mine. With enough effort, I pushed our weight so I landed on top.

"You too." I said half way out of breath and pecked him on the lips.

I got up quickly, rolling away from him so he couldn't do anything else.

"That's 40 bucks Eames." Cobb smirked.

Eames rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Really Arthur? You couldn't have seen that move coming?" he asked.

Arthur looked kind of shocked and rolled his eyes at Eames's rant.

"Love you." He said in my ear and then kissed my cheek.

"Ok, enough you too." Eames grumbled before I could answer Arthur.

The room started to shake and the lights began to fall.

Arms which were around my waist began to tighten. "I love you." He whispered again, and then all went dark.

* * *

I woke up peacefully, smiling as I got up from Arthur's arms.

"You're ok right?" I said worried.

"No damage done. You?" he asked.

I shook my head, smiling in relief.

"Who's up for dinner?" Cobb asked getting up.

I shrugged and pulled Arthur up with me.

"I'm game. Lets go." I said and then backed my way to the door.

We ended up eating at a small diner just near the warehouse. Truthfully, it was the most fun I had in a long time.

"You've never had a hamburger?" I said astonished.

Eames shook his head. "How could you have not eaten a single hamburger all these years?"

He looked at me amazed. "It's such an American food." I laughed oddly.

"And we are in France darling." Eames laughed.

I blushed and let out an embarrassed laugh. Everyone tried to hide their chuckles with a smile but was failing miserably.

"Alright, I will give you that one. But seriously Eames?" I said still just…not processing how a person could not have eaten a hamburger for a large part of their life.

"Seriously. Darling, you must get over this." He teased.

The blush increased on my face and I changed the topic.

"Alright, well then please just tell me you have seen the view on top of the Eiffel tower." I said seriously.

He looked at me surprised. "You can do that?"

"Eames!" I shouted.

A few people glanced over at us, so I tried to contain myself.

"You can't be serious." I told him.

He leaned in over the table.

"I'm not the one who lives in Paris darling." He told me.

Sighing to cover up a blush, I patted Arthur's leg to get up and let me out.

"Come on." I said to all of them.

They all looked at me strangely.

"Did you pay the check yet?" I asked.

Cobb smirked at Eames and pointed over at him.

"His job." He told me.

Eames grumbled. "Fine, but this is $20 less that I owe you."

After I finally got them out of the diner, I practically dragged them down the streets of Paris.

"Where are we going Ari?" Arthur laughed as I tried dragging him.

"To the Eiffel tower!" I said, grunting as he wasn't cooperating.

"Come on." I whined to all of them.

Eventually they all gave in; I pushed them all into the elevator in the middle of the Eiffel tower and then waited for the small 'ding' sound.

When the sound rang and the doors open, I gave a huge proud smile.

"Welcome to Paris everyone." I said and watched as their faces were all in awe.

We all scattered around the tower, enjoying the midnight view.

"This is amazing." Arthur said while wrapping his arms over my shoulders.

I looked up to him, smiling like never before.

"I'm glad you like it." I told him and put my hands on his arms.

We stood there for a few minutes, just enjoying the view and the breeze which hit our faces with elegance. A bright flash hit us and we looked over to where it was coming from.

Eames, Cobb and Yusuf all stood there looking at us with a smile.

"Cute, really." Eames commented about the photo.

I looked closer and found that looked just like my camera.

"Hey that looks just like…" I felt around in my bag for my camera and then looked up to a grinning Eames.

"Eames." I whined. "Give me back my camera."

"Come get it darling." He teased.

He was off from eyesight and I had no choice but to run after him.

"Eames." I whined yet laughed at the same time.

"What else do you have on here…" he said as he kept turning directions so I couldn't get him.

"Oh, who is this handsome fellow with you?" he asked, stopping to look at the picture.

Finally catching up to him, I looked at the picture displayed on the screen.

"That's my brother." I told him, not feeling one bit upset.

Everything looked upset and the air got tense.

"Its fine guys." I said. "I'm not going to fall to pieces when I talk about him. Watch." I commanded.

"I had or have… I guess…" I thought.

"Anyways, my brother's named Jason, but I call him Jase for short. He's a goofball and is 2 years younger than me. When he was 16 and I was 18, we decided to save up our money to go travel around the world. Unfortunately he supposedly died in a car crash which kind of cut the trip idea."

They all looked at me with a surprised look.

"Like I said, everything is fine now. Chill."

Randomly, I decided to loosen the mood. I sneakily put my camera back to the regular screen and then took a bunch of pictures before they could come after me.

The mood loosened just like I planned and our trip back to the warehouse was as smooth as pie.

* * *

"Alright, im off to bed." I said yawning as I hung up my things.

"You coming?" I asked Arthur.

He looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Lets go slow poke." I said waiting for him.

"Night everyone." He said as he walked me to my room with our entwined hands swinging together.

"I will be checking up on you!" Eames yelled to us.

Arthur held up a hand, waving goodnight as we ignored him. We shut the door behind us, not bothering to turn on the lights. The moon was bright enough to see each other.

I started walking over to get my pajamas and get ready for bed, when a hand swung me back. Arthur kissed me passionately, lifting my head so he could bend down and kiss down my neck.

I moaned a little as he pecked small soft kisses around my neck. The moments got a little more intense as I loosened his tie and slid the suspender straps off his shoulders.

We never broke the kiss though. Even when I was unbuttoning his shirt and sliding it off his shoulders, he made sure to keep his lips captured with mine.

"Think Eames is serious?" I asked him as we pulled his white t-shirt that he used as an undershirt over his head.

"Do you?" he asked as he kissed my neck.

I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of his lips. Running my hands down his well built chest, I could feel his muscles contract at my touch.

"Ari" he breathed in pleasure.

His hands traveled to the hem of my shirt pulling it up slightly. The soft warm touches I felt as he grazed over my stomach sent shivers up my spine.

"You never answered my question" I breathed as he pulled my shirt up and over my head.

"You never answered mine." He retorted, now kissing my shoulders and chest.

"Well wonder if he does come in here?" I asked.

Arthur brought his face back up to mine. "Did you want to stop?" he asked.

I shook my head and smiled at him. "Not really."

Arthur smiled back, just as wide as me. "Good, cause I didn't either."

Our adventure continued as he began traveling down my chest. My hands grasped his back, slightly digging my nails into him. I let out a groan and laid my head on his bare shoulder.

"You're gorgeous you know that?" Arthur told me, putting our foreheads together.

Who knows if he saw my red blush that was on my cheeks because before we could go any further a knock came on the door.

"Everything ok in there?" Eames voice boomed.

"Eames if you open this door, I swear to the heavens I will make your life a living hell for the day." I threatened.

Silence set in and Arthur looked at me quite amused.

"Im guessing that you two are just about naked then." He guessed.

I rolled my eyes and huffed in frustration.

"Go get ready for bed, I will deal with Eames" he told me, brushing some hair out off my face.

I nodded, giving him a quick kiss and then taking my pajamas with me to the bathroom.

"Eames." Arthur growled, opening the door.

"Ahh, so you didn't get as far as I thought you did." He noted.

"We were about to fall asleep. Who said anything about sex?" Arthur asked in an annoyed tone.

"As good as you may be at your job my man, evidence doesn't lie-your hair is all funny and your lips are quite red. I say that is more than falling asleep." He concluded.

"Eames." I said with a huff as I opened my bedroom door wider. I was now dressed in a tee shirt and pants, while Arthur was still bare chested.

"Shut up and go to bed." With that, I tugged at Arthur's hand which was intertwined with mine, and shut the door.

"Night to you to darling!" He yelled through the door.

I rolled my eyes as I looked back to the door shaking my head.

"Come on." Arthur said, pulling me to the bed.

We laid, facing each other, enjoying just watching the other fall asleep.

"Goodnight Arthur." I whispered and then kissed his chest as I snuggled into him.

"Goodnight Ariadne." He said and stuck his chin above my head to fall asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

I woke up to find Arthur brushing my hair behind my ear.

"Hey." He said softly.

I gave him a small smile and then let my eyes flutter closed at his gentle touch.

"How long have you been up?" I whispered.

"Not too long." He said.

I opened my eyes and tilted my head upwards. "How long is 'not too long'?"

"Maybe an hour or so." He said softly.

"An hour? What on earth have you being doing for an hour?" I asked him.

"Nothing. Just watching you sleep." He said with a smile.

A blush crept to my cheeks and I buried my head back into his chest.

"You're pretty interesting to watch. You make these cute little grumbles and tend to smile in your sleep." I shook my head in embarrassment and let him continue to chuckle and rub my hair.

"Do you still dream?" he asked.

I sighed and stared at his amazing chest. "Sometimes. Not always."

We layed in silence for a while until my stomach started to grumble.

Another blush bloomed on my cheeks as I heard Arthur laugh.

"Come on, lets get you something to eat." He told me as he kissed my head one last time.

"Good morning love birds!" Eames chimed as we walked out of the bedroom.

"Morning Eames." I said laughing as he gave us a smirk.

"How were your nights?" he pried.

"Fine Eames. Nothing happened." I told him as I got some coffee.

"mmhmm." He said skeptically.

"Another pop tart?" Arthur asked intrigued as I took a bite.

Just as I was about to reply, Cobb came into the room and looked at me strangely. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

My smile dropped as I realized he was right.

"Shit!" I swore dropping my pop tart and then ran off to get dressed.

I put on a pair of dark skinny jeans and then found a red tank top with a khaki jacket.

_I need to stop by my apartment for more clothes._ I reminded myself.

Running out of the room as I stuck my hair into a ponytail, I gathered up a bunch of papers.

"Crap." I whined as I couldn't find my backpack.

I scanned around the room and found it hanging up by my shoes.

"Yes!" I exclaimed and ran for it.

When everything was in there, I ran to the door.

"Ari!" Arthur's voice called.

"Forgetting something?" he asked, holding up a pop tart.

Nodding, I ran to him and grabbed the pop tart.

"Thanks." I said and kissed him quickly on the lips.

"You need a ride?" he yelled as I made my way to the warehouse door.

I turned my body, shaking my head in the process while swallowing a mouthful of pop tart.

"No, running is easier." I exclaimed and was out the door.

* * *

I got to the room with the last 5 minutes left of class.

Walking in as quietly as possible, I took a seat and watched Miles glare at me.

"Class dismissed." He said.

I sighed, packing up my things and heading down to have my 'lessons' with him for my portfolio.

"Professor…"

"Come on, lets get started." He told me, hustling to make me pull out my things.

I sighed in frustration but did what he said.

We worked on my portfolio for an hour before he finally brought up today's events.

"You re-took the job didn't you?" he asked as I was packing up.

I looked at the poor man and nodded.

"Yea, I did."

His face looked slightly disproving, but found that my reasons were different than what he was thinking.

"It's not why you think…" I told him.

"Why is it then?" he asked slightly skeptical.

Looking down, I felt slightly uncomfortable explaining this.

"Ariadne, you can't let this job get to you. I saw it in Mal and I can't stand to see it in a truly gifted architect. It pains me to see you-…"

"Waste my gift?" I asked, already knowing this speech.

He sighed in guilt.

"I didn't take the job again for the dreams or because of the freedom of expression."

"Do you remember when I talked to you…about all of this? I told you how I lost myself and really hurt the people I cared most about. I promised you that I wouldn't loose myself like Mal and Cobb did, and I swore to myself that I would never loose my grip on reality."

I swallowed and continued, fiddling with my hands on my lap.

"I explained to you how I couldn't be hurt like that again- after the fisher job."

"Well this…this is different. I didn't just take this job because it involves me in more ways than one. I took this job because not being able to see Yusuf, Eames, Cobb or even Arthur…." I said gently.

"It pains me. Because they are apart of me…they are apart of what I call family. I know it doesn't make sense and im sure it's stupid, but I just…its not about me anymore. It's not about the dreams."

I packed up the rest of my things with the professor's gaze still on me.

"So then why were you late this morning?" he asked.

I swallowed and blushed furiously.

"I was sleeping." I admitted.

Miles looked at me with a true look of skepticism.

"I'm serious." I laughed.

"It was a long day…and Arthur and I just ended up…"

"Oh dear god." He muttered.

"No!" I said blushing hard. "Not like that."

"We just ended up waking up late. And then as we were eating breakfast Cobb woke up and asked me about class and it just totally slipped my mind." I explained.

Miles looked at me with a strange expression on his face.

"I don't-…I know what I want professor." I admitted.

"And whats that Ariadne?" he asked me.

"I want-…" I looked up and found Arthur leaning against the door.

_How long has he been there_? I asked myself.

"Hey." I said awkwardly.

He gave me a lopsided smile and a nod.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

_Please don't tell me he heard all of this…_ I begged.

"Came to pick you up. Didn't think you would want to run back." He said.

I watched as Arthur's gaze drifted to Mile. He gave him a slight nod and then looked back at me.

"Oh…thanks." I said and backed out of my chair with a blush on my cheeks.

Grabbing my things, Miles put a hand on my arm.

"Your portfolio is beautiful Ariadne- immaculate really. We are done here and you are ready to send it in."

"Are you sure?" I asked the professor, still stunned by his words.

A smile crept on his face and he nodded to me.

"May I say one thing?" Miles said.

I nodded, never breaking eye contact.

"You trust Arthur." He pointed out. He made it sound like more of a question but I nodded none the less.

"I do." I said softly. I didn't want him to hear this conversation. Who knows even how much he has heard so far.

"What makes you trust him so much?" Miles asked me.

I turned and looked back to Arthur who was watching us intently.

"I-…"

Thinking it over, I knew the answer right away.

"It's the way I feel about him. It's nothing I could even possibly imagine or explain. Its like he…he can make me feel these things that I didn't know could exist."

"And…" I said, gazing at him again.

"I know I can trust him because hes earned it. The way he can comfort me and see who I really am when sometimes I don't even know just boggles my mind; and the faith he has in me is just incredible."

"I know I probably shouldn't trust him this much but I feel like I could be anything or do anything when im with him. And I know I shouldn't say this either, but I feel like I sound like a fool in love."

Miles smiled and nodded to me.

"But that's the beauty in it. You are in love."

Doubt crossed my face but I never mouthed it.

"I can see it in him too." Miles said, slightly nodding over to Arthur.

"The way he looks at you, just like he is now."

Without a thought, I turned slightly towards him. He was gazing at me with puzzlement in his eyes.

"I've known Arthur ever since Cobb recruited him. And Ive found he's always been a clean cut, perfectionist professional. He's never once stepped out of line or did something without thinking. It was who he was."

"But now," Miles said.

"There is this glow to him. He isn't the old uptight Arthur I once knew. It was like he was shown a new world."

I smiled, feeling proud I could have that affect on him.

"He's still clean cut and very professional- don't get me wrong." The professor added.

"But there is something slightly different about him. At first, I couldn't see it, but then when you finally noticed him…it was like he automatically changed."

I thought about the professor's observations for a second before speaking.

"How long has he been standing there exactly?" I joked, but was waiting for an answer.

"Take care of him Ariadne. You have changed into something I thought I would have never seen." He said, ignoring my question.

I nodded and turned away to go to Arthur.

As I made my way up the small set of stairs, Miles called my name.

"I still expect that portfolio to be sent!" he said.

I turned around, a smile bright on my face. "I will get right on it professor."

The lightness in his eyes was evident and he looked at me proud.

"Good luck Ariadne." He said and turned to his papers.

Glancing at him, I knew the double meaning to his words. He wasn't just talking about my papers, but my relationship with Arthur.

"Hey." I said to Arthur as I met him by the door.

"Hey." He said, giving me a kiss.

"How long have you been here?" I asked, turning to him as we walked through the door.

He ignored my question and looked at me interested. "What were you and the professor talking about?"

I shook my head, smiling.

"I asked you first." I said, swinging our entwined hands between us.

We got out to his car in a matter of minutes.

"I didn't know you promised things to the professor." He told me as he opened my door and waited for me to get in.

I put my head in my hands with a blush on my cheeks.

"You heard that much? Why didn't you say something…or do something?" I asked as he got in the drivers seat.

He glanced at me with a small smile. "I didn't want to interrupt."

I rolled my eyes and let the blush flush my cheeks.

Turning to the window, I hoped he wouldn't bring it up anymore.

"So, I answered yours." He said.

I turned to him confused and then got what he meant.

"We were um…just talking."

"About?" he asked, briefly turning to me.

"Things?" I asked, hoping he would accept that answer.

"Ari." He said.

"Ugh, fine." I said giving up.

"We were talking about you…and me." I said as fast as possible.

"What about us?" he asked, taking my hand from my lap and rubbing it with his thumb.

"Just…stuff. Can we please change this awkward subject?" I pleaded.

"It's not awkward. Its quite interesting." He said and glanced at me.

"Interesting for you; awkward for me." I stated.

He let out a chuckle. "Fine, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well first, can we stop at my apartment? I need to pick up some clothes and such."

He nodded.

"And second…how did you know when I got out?"

"Cobb told me. He said that you and Miles had been working on stuff."

I nodded and squeezed his hand.

From that, we talked about the job and what happened when I left.

Apparently, Eames kept harassing him about last night till Cobb intervened, but then Cobb asked him about it too.

A few times, Arthur tried to bring up more about the conversation between the professor and me, but I always shook my head and didn't answer.

We made it to my apartment building, parking right out front.

"You know what I always wanted to do?" I asked Arthur as we stepped into the elevator.

He looked at me curiously. "What?"

"Push all the elevator buttons. I've never done that before."

Arthur looked at me with a smile on his face.

"Well then, let's fulfill this dream."

He started pushing the buttons before I could stop him.

"Arthur!" I laughed at his actions.

"We can't." I said.

He gave me a raised eyebrow. "Come on." He cohersed. I shook my head and let out a laugh.

"Take a chance." He whispered to me, bringing his body closer to mine.

He was about an inch away from kissing me. My thoughts of him were going wild.

But before I could lean it, Arthur had grabbed my hand and helped me push the rest of the buttons.

I looked at him in shock and my cheeks lit up with a blush.

We stopped at all seven floors before finally reaching mine.

"Oh my gosh. I can't believe we did that." I laughed as I dragged him out of the elevator.

"We could do it on the way down too if you would like." He smirked.

I let out a laugh and shook my head. "I will pass on that one thanks."

"Did you see the old woman's glare as the doors opened?" I asked him, opening my apartment doors.

He laughed whole heartedly. "Yea, I thought she was going to come in the elevator and beat us with her purse."

"You would have stopped her right?" I asked, turning around to smirk at him.

"Oh, of course." He said lightly, walking towards me.

I giggled as he swept me off my feet and brought me to him.

Running a hand down his face, I felt his gaze on me.

"I love you." I whispered and then looked up at him.

He looked at me shocked and then a full blown grin was etched on his face.

His mouth captured mine within a matter of seconds, and I was wrapped up into the most passionate kiss I had ever felt.

"I love you too." He said pulling me away.

Stepping out of his arms, I made my way to the bedroom.

"I'll be right back."

A couple of minutes later, I had a duffel bag of clothes and other things.

"Ready?" I asked as I made my way down the hallway.

Arthur was sitting on the couch with his arms on his knees.

"How long have you had these?" he asked solemnly.

I looked at him confused and then walked over to what he was talking about.

Spread out all over my coffee table were pictures of the team and I with our faces crossed off with a red 'X'.

A small clean white envelope with my name scrawled on it in red ink was sitting on the middle of the table.

I bent down, taking the envelope.

_This looks just like…_

I flipped it around and pulled out a card.

_Ar,_

_Please you can't do this job. Can't you see what is going to happen if you do?_

_Think about it._

My heart raced as I read the card over and over. The person didn't sign it.

I knew the writing…but it couldn't be possible.

"Ari, what does it say?" Arthur asked, standing up.

Arthur quickly read it and then set his hands on my arms.

"Ari?" he asked.

"I know this writing." I whispered, still processing this whole thing.

"But it can't be possible." I said and looked back to all the photos.

Eames…Cobb…Yusuf…and Arthur- all had bold red 'X's across their face. The pictures were shots of when they weren't looking or paying any attention. They were all taken at random places from what I could tell.

"Who?" Arthur asked softly.

"I…I need a minute." I told him and then walked away.

Going to my room, I did something that I hadn't done in a while. I grabbed my chess piece out of my bag and flicked it down on the nightstand.

It hit the table with a bang and I closed my eyes to stop the tears.

_He can't be real…_

My wandered with confusion as I paced the floor.

_Why would he take all the pictures? Was he the one threatening me in the dream? But he had his chance when he saw me during the mission._

"Ari. Ariadne." Arthur said a little more strong.

My head snapped up to him and saw his worried expression.

"Arthur. This cant be real…this cant be…"

"Hey." He said fiercely and then pulled our bodies close.

"Take a breath for a second." He advised.

Listening to his words, I closed my eyes and just leaned against him. His heart beat was a constant thud and I felt myself unwind a little.

"That's it." He whispered, rubbing up and down my back.

"Tell me what's going on. What are you thinking?" he asked.

Looking up at him, I let my eyes show fear.

"The handwriting- I recognize it. It-….its my brothers."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

I nodded and looked at him straight in the eyes. "I'm absolutely positive. I would know it anywhere."

"When'd you get the pictures?" he asked me.

"I never had them. They were never here." I said.

His face flickered with emotion. I could tell he was slightly scared.

"Alright, lets get out of here. Do you have everything?"

I nodded with panic and then walked out of the room with Arthur in hand.

He let go of my hand to take the pictures off the table. I watched as he took them one by one.

"Wait!" I said and rushed to him.

"What?" he asked panicked.

"Look." I said, flipping them over.

On the back were red words. Taking all the pictures from Arthur's hands, I flipped them in the order they were laid out in.

_You know what will happen._ It read.

My face paled and I knew exactly what would happen.

"Come on." He told me and then gathered the pictures in a pile.

Rushing out of the room, we headed for the elevator and then to the car.

Arthur sped to the warehouse, neither of us talking.


	12. Chapter 12

"And the lovebirds made it back. About time." Eames commented.

He looked at our face and immediately stopped smirking.

"What happened?" he asked, getting off his stool.

"Someone is messing with Ari." Arthur informed him as he laid out the pictures face up in the order we first saw them.

Eames, Cobb and Yusuf all gathered around them and gasped.

"Someone left these in my apartment on the coffee table like this." I said with my voice quivering.

Arthur shot me a sympathetic look, but I ignored it as I took out the note from my bag.

"And my brother left me this."

I handed Eames the note and they all read it.

"How do you know it's your brothers? It's not signed." Yusuf said.

"I would know his handwriting anywhere."

"Someone could have forged it." Eames commented.

I shook my head, trusting my gut.

"You just know." Cobb told me in understanding.

I nodded; relieved someone knew what I meant.

The guys looked from Cobb and me, trying to figure out our little moment.

"Alright, say this is your brother. Why didn't he sign it? Or add something a little more personal." Eames asked me.

I shook my head, not knowing the answer to any of his questions.

Taking a seat on the couch, I ran my hands over my face and laid my elbows on my knees.

"_I gave her the note." Jase told me, sliding on the bench next to me._

_I looked up from my sketchbook and smiled._

"_What did she say?"_

_He shook his head and looked at his feet._

"_I didn't sign it." He muttered._

_Turning to him, I let my mouth open wide._

"_You wrote the girl who is supposedly the 'love of your life' a note and you didn't sigh it?" I said incredulously._

_He blushed furiously and shook his head. "I didn't want her to come and hunt me down at school!"_

"_Well what did you put?" I laughed._

"_I like you." He said._

_Waiting for more, I looked at him and realized that was it._

"_That's it?" I asked him._

_He shrugged and looked at me. "Thought it would be best to be blunt."_

_I shook my head, laughing a little. _

"_Smooth." _

Chuckling, I ran my hands over my face again.

"He wanted to be blunt." I said.

Everyone turned to me confused.

"The note." I said.

"He wanted to be blunt." I repeated.

"When he was 14, he finally wrote his crush a note. He always told me that she was the 'love of his life' so I suggested he write one. Well one day while I was sketching in the park, he came and sat down on the bench with me and told me he wrote her a note. When I asked him what he wrote he said 'I like you.'" I let out a laugh and continued.

"At first I thought he was kidding, but when I looked at him, he was seriously serious. Anyway, long story short, I asked him why jus those three words and he responded saying it was better to be blunt."

"But why didn't he sign it?" Yusuf asked.

"Because he was afraid she would find him."

As I said those words a light went off in my head.

"He didn't want her to find him…" I whispered.

Arthur looked at me, knowing what I was getting at.

"He's alive." He stated.

"So we don't have her to the job." Eames said like it was obvious.

"It's not that simple." I said, flipping over the pictures.

The guy's faces went grim.

"What will happen exactly?" Yusuf asked.

"You die." I whispered.

"So what do we do?" Eames asked Cobb.

"We go through with this." I said.

Cobb looked at me curiously. "You want to go against your brothers wishes?"

"If it's really my brother, then he would know I wouldn't listen to his threats; especially without proof of anything. So yes, I want to do this."

Cobb and Eames looked to Arthur who was looking at me.

"When can we go in?" I asked Cobb.

"When can you be ready?" he retorted.

With a smile I got up. "Give me two days."

The team broke up, some still looking at the table.

"You sure about this?" Arthur asked me from behind.

I turned to him and nodded. "I'm not letting you…die." I said with a bitter taste in my mouth.

"We wouldn't." he said.

"But you could." I responded. "And I don't even want that to be a possibility."

Arthur stared at me for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright. Fine."

Giving me a kiss, he let me get back to work.

I worked harder than I had ever worked before. At the rate I was going, I predicted to finish sooner than planned.

"Done!" I exclaimed.

A day and a half had passed and I was finished with all the layouts.

I showed the team, telling them secret exit strategies and such. Cobb approved and said we would be ready by the next day.

"You're sure about this darling?" Eames asked me as I came out of my room to say goodnight to everyone.

"I am."

He nodded and kissed me on the cheek. "Alright. See you in the morning."

"You coming with me?" I asked Arthur as he sat in front of his laptop.

"Huh?" he asked, looking over his shoulder to me.

Gazing at him, I could see the dark circles under his eyes.

"You need to sleep."

"I will." He said and went back to work.

I hung my arms over his shoulders and watched him work.

"Arthur." I whispered.

He gave me a grunt but I ignored it.

"Arthur." I said stronger.

"What?" he asked, reading some files.

"I love you." I whispered.

He turned to me and a smile grazed his face.

"I love you too." He said.

I kissed him briefly and then pulled away.

"Ok, come on. Time for bed." I told him, taking both of his hands.

"I will Ari. I just want to look over a few more things."

Analyzing him, I found something wrong.

"What are you afraid of?"

His body froze and went tense. Running my hands over his shoulders and down his arms, he relaxed slightly.

"I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything."

"It will be there in the morning." I told him.

"But we wont." He replied.

Sighing, I ran a hand through his hair.

"It's going to be fine. I promise." I whispered softly.

His eyes closed briefly as he listened to my voice.

"I love you." He told me again.

"I love you too."

Finally, after a few more minutes of convincing, I got him to come to bed with me.


	13. Chapter 13

The day of the mission: _Easy as pie_. I told myself.

Arthur woke up next to me actually quite anxious. We took a few minutes to ourselves and then got up to show the team we were indeed awake.

It was like any other job that we were about to do. Cobb reviewed everything, making sure nothing was unexpected. When everyone knew what they were doing, we took out the silver case and each took a line.

Arthur's hand slipped through mine as we laid on the couch.

"Love you." He whispered in my ear.

"Love you too." I said, looking him in the eyes.

Yusuf pressed the center button, watching us fade to the dream…

* * *

Everything ran smoothly, just as planned.

A few times, I got nervous as I thought I saw my brother, but I realized my mind was playing tricks on me.

_Fear is a bitch._ I told myself.

As I played my part, walking into the bank's safety deposit box area, I became fearful.

"Ar, I told you not to come." Jason said face to face with me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked with fear in my voice.

"You can't be here. This is exactly what they want!" he said clearly stressed.

"What did you expect me to do?" I yelled to him.

"They were going to hurt my family." I whispered to Jason.

His eyes lowered and he showed sympathy. "I know."

"Then why did you expect me not to do the job?"

He shook his head. "I didn't. I hoped that maybe, just maybe you wouldn't take it; but I was prepared if you were."

"What are you going to do?" I asked. "Shoot me?"

He shook his head and looked up at me with sadness. "No, and im sorry for that. Its just I cant let you give them what they want."

"Who?" I asked, taking a step back as Jason came forward.

"You don't have to be scared of me Ar, it's just me."

I shook my head. "I have every right to be scared of you. You are supposed to be dead and you haven't been the most reliable to trust."

He sighed and nodded. "Alright that's true. But you have to believe me when I say I didn't mean for this to get carried away."

"How do I know im not talking to a projection?" I asked him.

He looked at me shocked.

"Ari, is everything ok?" Arthur asked through comms.

I looked at my watch and found I was a minute late.

"No, Jason is here." I said, watching my brother slowly.

"Hang in there. I'm coming." Arthur responded.

"Ar." Jason tried again.

"Please, you have to believe its me." He said. My pulse raced and I thought about calling for Arthur.

_He's on his way…_ I thought to myself, unclenching the tiny talk button

"Ariadne, you ok?" Cobb's voice rang out.

"Yea." I said, still keeping an eye on Jason.

"Plea-" he started saying, but got cut off as he was hit in the head with the back of a gun.

"Craft." I whispered in fear.

"Ariadne." He said politely; stepping over Jason's body and coming towards me.

"So nice of you to come." He said.

"Why…why did you do this?" I asked, fear evident in my voice.

"My job." He said simply as we began to circle each other.

"Craft." I said nervously into comms.

He watched me for a second, before pouncing on me.

It took a few seconds but I got him off of me.

I kicked him square in the stomach and sent him flying into the safety deposit boxes.

Huffing, I stood up and wiped the blood off my head. Craft got pretty close to knocking me unconscious when he held me down on the ground.

He slowly got up and charged at me again.

_Where's Arthur?_ I yelled to myself.

Getting distracted, I didn't see his fist coming at me.

Hitting me in the cheek, it sent my flying to the floor.

I pulled myself up slowly, but a foot hit my back hard and sent me back down to the floor; my head hitting the tile floor forcefully and knocking me out.

* * *

When I came to, I didn't have the Comm in my ear and I was somewhere unfamiliar.

I groaned in pain and let my eyes flutter open to bright light.

"Ariadne, dear." A familiar voice cooed.

Refocusing, I looked up and found the face of my mother.

"Mom?" I asked, groaning at the sound of my voice.

"Lovely to see you." She said.

"What the hell happened?" I asked her.

"Language." A gruff voice scolded. Slowly, my eyes found Jack.

"Jack?" I asked.

"You know, I always hated how you called me by my first name." he seethed and then a hand hit my cheek with a slap.

I let out a small yelp and felt blood in my mouth.

Immediately spitting it out, I looked around.

We were in a big room, almost looking like an office.

There was a desk to the right of me and a fireplace and a big chair a little ways behind me.

Across the room, I found large walls of bookcases and my brother.

"Jase." I groaned out.

He looked at me with heartbroken eyes and a bloody head.

"Yes, your brother tried to be a knight and shining armor you know." My mother chimed.

"You knew he was alive?' I asked her.

Her eyes darkened. "Of course, who do you faked his death?" she asked me.

My eyes snapped open wide and I looked to her. "What?" I asked.

She gave me a look of bother. "Your brother was catching onto our plans. Your father and I, along with Craft were planning to do inception on a man with a lot of money." She explained.

My eyes snapped to Craft who was standing behind my tied up brother, smirking.

"He's not my father." I spat.

Jack's hand slapped my face again and my mother rolled her eyes.

"Why did you do this?" I asked, trying to wiggle out of my restraints.

My hands were tied behind my back with a thick, coarse rope.

"We needed the money." She put simply.

"No we didn't, we were fine." I cried.

"Fine?" she asked with her eyes dark as coal.

"We were far from fine- cutting coupons and washing the dishes by hand- that was not fine." She spat.

"It was far from fine. We needed money, and that what we intended to do. Until your brother came along." She said venomously.

"He just couldn't shut up. He had to go prying around into our business."

"So you faked his death?" I asked confused.

"Oh no, that was your bother." She said.

I looked at Jason confused. Then why was she mad?

"The night you both tried to go gallivanting off was when your father and I were fighting on to deal with Jason."

I swallowed hard and tasted blood in my mouth.

"Giving Jason the keys was our perfect opportunity." She grinned evilly.

Guilt wracked my body and I looked over to Jason. He gave me a tired nod and watched as my mother continued.

"We had somebody crash his car. We purposely tried to kill him." She snarled, holding my chin so I faced her.

"But your brother some how ran away. We faked his death, pretending to cry and be upset, when really, we were as happy as could be."

Her words began making me sick and I tore my face away from her.

"He laid low, and let us get the job done. It wasn't until now that he had to interfere."

I felt my head throb with confusion again.

"But what did you want with me?" I asked.

"You were supposed to help us. You were supposed to get the job done." Jack said.

My eyes glared at him and I turned back to my mom.

"All we needed you to do was shut down the company." She said

"But no…your brother had to send you a message just like we did."

"How?" I croaked.

"When Craft handed you your line, I made sure to have him stick this other minuscule needle into the line. It was an extra sedative with a bang."

"A bang?" I asked.

"It was a way that we could keep you under while controlling the dream." She said rolling her eyes.

"You killed me." I said, referring to the dream. She rolled her eyes again and looked at me.

"Oh, stop being such a drama queen."

I stared at her shocked. This was not my mother. The woman I knew was sweet and caring and an honest to god woman.

"Anyways," she said continuing.

"We had to be a little more…drastic. So we gave you those pictures…sent you a message." She said thoughtfully.

Anger cursed me as I thought of her threatening my family.

"Bitch." I swore.

Her head snapped to me and she kicked me in the stomach.

"You were a pain in the ass kid you know that?" she spat.

"I didn't even want kids." She told me truthfully.

"You have no idea how happy I was when you left." She said.

Pushing my emotions back, I took a big wad of spit and spat in her face.

Her face crunched together and she wiped away the saliva.

Jack came over and hit me repeatedly in the stomach.

"No!" Jason yelled as he fought against his restraints. He too was bound by rope at the wrists and legs.

Going limp, I laid on the big worn rug that covered most of the office floor.

"Couldn't just do the fucking job?" She roared.

I craned my neck to look at her, still scrunched up in a ball.

"Why was the job so important?" I asked.

"We could have been billionaires! We could have all lived well off and shut down the goody two shoes company!" she screeched.

"Who the hell wants to save the world anyways?" she muttered to herself.

Plopping my head back on the ground I felt like kicking myself.

_How could I not see this?_

"Call on line 2." Jack said, talking on his own phone at the desk.

My mother nodded and walked over to the phone.

There was loud shouting and talking, but it wasn't clear enough to hear.

Before my eyes could fully close, the two tall wooden doors opened with a bang.

In walked my team, shooting at everyone.

Jason caught my eye, just for a millisecond. He looked a little calmer and gave me a nod before diving out of the way of Craft but getting shot.

"No!" I yelled out. I couldn't loose Jason again.

"Jason!" I screamed as I saw his dead body lay on the ground next to Craft.

"Ari!" Arthur said running to me.

He kneeled down and started untying the ropes.

"Arthur." I said teary eyed.

"Its ok, everything is ok now." He said.

Finally getting the ropes off, I hugged him hard.

"You came." I whispered.

"Told you I would; now lets get out of here." He said, pulling me up.

I winced in pain but smiled as I saw Eames and Cobb.

Eames took my other arm and they began leading me out of the room.

With one last glance, I gazed at Jason's body.

"Mistake." My mother whispered looking at me.

I tilted my head and watched her lips.

"Mistake." She said a little more clearly and then died.

Swallowing, I packed away the tears. I knew she was talking about me. It was loud and clear.

Music sounded all around us and I knew we needed to hustle.

"We aren't going to make it." I grunted as we walked down a bunch of stairs.

"Yes we will." Cobb said.

At the last second we made it to the city roads and the kick of water hit us.

* * *

Gasping, I woke up and sat up from the couch.

"Water?" I asked to Yusuf, rubbing my eyes.

"Well I couldn't exactly tip the couches now could I?" he smiled.

Shaking my head I looked over to Arthur.

"You ok?" he asked, his body wet too.

I nodded and took the towel Yusuf held out to me.

"What happened in there?" Eames asked.

"Did it work?" Yusuf wondered.

I ran my hands through my hair.

"It was all a set up. Everything was a scam. It was…it was my mother." I said still shocked.

Everyone gaped at me.

"She-…she and Jack were the one who started this whole thing. It was all for money." I told them.

Gathering my thoughts, I instantly told them everything.

"Wait…so your brother isn't dead." Eames said.

"He could be…or in limbo." I said.

Eames let out a whistle. "And I thought I was the one with a messed up family."

Arthur shot him a look and I let out a little laugh.

"Yea, well im going to take a shower." I said getting up from the couch.

I gave Arthur a squeeze to the hand one last time before pulling away and heading for my room.

I shut the bathroom door, looking at myself in the I was looking for I didn't know, but what I found was nothing I didn't already know either.

Stepping in the shower, I let the hot beads of water run down my skin. I enjoyed the warmth and relaxation of it my eyes, I turned and leaned back to the water, letting it get my hair all wet.I lathered it with raspberry shampoo and rinsed it till it was clean. When I was finished with my shower, I turned off the out of the shower, I looked at myself one more time in the mirror.

Still- I looked the same. Of course my hair was wet and my body was wrapped in a big white fluffy towel but that wasn't the point. I tried as hard as I could to find something remotely horrible about me, but I ended up with nothing. Sure, I had some things that I didn't like about myself, but I didn't find them repulsive or tormenting. Everyone had flaws and that I knew. I walked out of the bathroom to my room to find Arthur sitting on my bed with the lights off.

"Hey." I said gently, stopping next to him.

I put my hand on top of his head and ran my hand over his hair; letting my hands feel the silky smoothness.

"Come here." He said, taking me by the waist and setting me right between his legs.

I continued to brush my hands through his hair, watching has he watched me.

"You're beautiful." He told me.

I smiled brightly at him, dipping down for a kiss. His hands squeezed my waist over the towel as mine settle over both his cheeks. The kiss is once again unbelievably sweet. Every time we slightly break it makes me crave more. He brings me closer, tugging me and holding me.

"I love you." He whispers.

"I love you more." I tell him.

He stands up, letting his height try and intimidate me.

A knock is lightly placed on the door.

"Hey, we are going out to eat to celebrate, so hurry up." Cobb tells us. The sound of his footsteps tells us he's walked away from the door. Our attention is turned back to each other and we gaze into each others eyes.

"I'll let you get dressed." He told me with a kiss.

"And Ari?" he told me as he opened the door.

I looked at him, curiosity displayed on my face.

"It isn't possible-to love me as much I love you. It just isn't" he said.

With a blushing smile, he softly shut the door and let me be to myself. I couldn't let the smile leave my face. It was like it was permanently stuck on there.

Changing- I put on a pair of grey sweatpants and a white tee shirt. It was a rarity but it was perfect and comfy for this restless night.

I walked out of the door and watched the guys. Eames and Cobb were laughing as Arthur was trying to hide a laugh. Yusuf looked amused but had a smile plastered on his face.

"Ready?" I asked as Arthur looked up to me.

Everyone nodded and headed for the restaurant. Arthur's arm wrapped around my shoulder and brought me closer to his side. My head leaned against his chest as we walked into the dark city night. His cologne dispersed against the nighttime wind and I breathed in the smell.

_True love._


	14. Chapter 14

We sat down in a big booth, Arthur and I on one side while Yusuf, Eames and Cobb on the other.

"To a job well done." Eames stated, holding up his mug.

"Well…to a job well completed." He corrected as he got evil stares.

I let out a little laugh and raised my glass. "To a job completed."

Our glasses clung and we sipped our drinks. I looked out the window, watching the world pass me by.

"So what now? Are we all parting ways again?" Yusuf asked.

I turned my head to the conversation and tilted my head. "I want to finish this."

"Finish this?" Arthur asked beside me.

"I want to flip the job." I explained.

"If my mom, Jack and brother died in the dream, it could mean they are either one: in limbo or two: out in the world getting ready to finish this." I said.

"I need to finish this job. They can't get away with this…it just isn't right."

"So what do you suggest?" Cobb asked me.

Taking a breath, I looked down at my warm white mug. "I say we tell the company that we heard people are planning inception and train them to defend themselves."

I watched as everyone thought about the plan carefully. Cobb looked down at the table while Yusuf and Eames looked out the window. Arthur had his arm around my shoulder and a hand on his mug.

"I'm in." he whispered to me.

I turned to smile at the amazing man.

"You sure?" I asked hesitantly.

"If your in, im in." he said affirmatively.

I looked back to the rest of the men and found Eames nodding to me.

"Count me in."

"Sure." Yusuf said.

"Let's get to work then." Cobb said as our food was brought to us.

We stayed at the diner for a few hours, formulating a plan.

It was decided that Cobb would head to the company tomorrow and tell them the news. He would pitch the idea and hopefully get the ball rolling. While Cobb was working on the deal, everyone else was supposed to get in place.

Yusuf's job was simple. He needed to make sure the sedatives kept us under long enough and weren't too powerful. Eames was going to help train the employees, along with Arthur. It was my job to make different models and places for different scenarios to play.

I guess the job was well suited for me. Not only was I doing what I loved best, but I knew my mom and Jack better than anyone.

"Alright, we can start working on this tomorrow." Cobb said with an exhausted look on his face.

"How are Phillipa and James?" I asked him with a smile.

He looked at me with comfort in his eyes. "They are great. They have been big balls of energy ever since I came back. They ask for you sometimes you know." He told me.

I blushed furiously and let out an uncomfortable laugh. "They were cute. James was really funny too."

Cobb chuckled and shook his head. "He is like a wild man. I can never get him to sit still for a moment. It's like he has to be doing something all the time."

"Puzzles." I said laughing. "Try giving him puzzles."

Cobb looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"When I used to watch Jason as a kid, he always used to run around like a maniac. I would get tired out within the first hour. So I set a puzzle in front of him. It wasn't too hard but wasn't as easy as pie. He took it upon himself as a challenge to finish it and it gave me a few minutes to relax." I laughed.

All the guys smiled at my happy thought and I could feel the smile begin to make an appearance on my face. We ended up leaving a few minutes later, all exhausted from today's events.

When we got back to the warehouse, it was Cobb who went straight to bed.

"Night everyone." He said and went to his room.

Eames looked at Arthur and me with a smile as we held hands and laughed quietly.

"Well, aren't you two love birds cute." He teased.

Arthur rolled his eyes at the comment and I couldn't help but laugh. Eames always got under Arthur's skin some how.

"Lets play cards." I said to the boys.

Yusuf came walking up to us and I smiled brightly.

"Want to play cards with us?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not?" he asked.

We each sat across from each other on the couches as I took out a deck of cards. We played goldfish, rummy, spoons, and even old maid.

"Cheater!" I gasped to Arthur as he bent to the side to sneak a look at my cards.

From then on I kept my cards fanned out in my hand and close to my chest. We were all laughing and having a lot of fun.

"Eames, just pick." I said dramatically as we waited for him to decide who to pick from.

"Well if you didn't have that bloody card higher than the other ones, I would know who to pick from."

"Does my truthfulness bother you?" I teased and then laughed as I had to lean away again from a cheating Arthur.

"Yes, honestly darling, it does." He admitted. I laughed harder and kept my cards near my chest.

I played old maid ever since I was a kid; it was like my favorite game. When I was little, always some how used to get the old maid card; so, I would stick it up higher than the others. Well since then I learned how useful that technique it could be. You could never know if I was actually holding the old maid or just sticking up a random card to psych a person out.

Now usually this technique would work, except for one tiny thing. Arthur was a cheater. He would try and take little sneak peeks over my shoulder or just bluntly try and look at my cards.

It had me in a fit of giggles, but I really wanted to win. Yusuf was already out, finding he had the hand of a master. He had about two cards left in his hand after taking out all the matches, and he was the person who got to go first. Needless to say, he won right away.

So, we decided to play who got seconds.

Twenty minutes later, it was down to two. I had to cards in my hand, one sticking up above the other.

"Come on, just pick!" I whined again to Eames.

He looked at me annoyed and just stared at my two cards. Arthur had two cards, along with me. Eames took his choices and decided to pick from me.

"Eames!" I huffed with impatience.

"Alright." He said and picked up the card that stuck up.

Smirking, I leaned back and laughed as he found he did indeed pick the old maid card. I faced Arthur and held out my hand.

He teasingly leaned away from me and shielded his cards. I looked at him wide mouthed and followed him as he stood up.

"Give it." I whined as he ran around the room dodging me.

Arthur passed the cards to Eames, who also got up and started running around the room.

He started making his way towards the back of the couch, so I stepped on the cushions and jumped onto his back.

Unfortunately, Eames passed the cards back to Arthur before I could take a peek and grab my match. We all laughed and felt like fools as we ran around over a card.

Now jumping off of Eames's back, I rushed after Arthur in a mad dash. He ran off to the other end of the room with a bunch of space and Eames not around.

I knew him too well; he was trying to formulate a plan in his head. Thinking fast, I trusted my instincts when he started to move. I caught a card in my hand and flipped it over to look for it. My match.

"Yes!" I yelled in victory, laughing as Eames and Arthur both sighed.

"Thank you." I said with proudness in my voice as I set the match on the table.

"I'm off to bed. Night Yusuf…guys." I said with a nod.

"Aren't you going to wait for the other love bird?" Eames asked me, referring to Arthur.

"Who said he was sleeping with me tonight?" I asked half serious.

Arthur came running to me at a speed I didn't even know was possible. Before I could even react, he had me up in the air, spinning me around with his hands on my waist.

I laughed loudly as I felt the floor beneath me again.

"Goodnight!" Arthur hollered to Eames and Yusuf as he walked us to my bedroom. Giggles still escaped my mouth as he kissed my cheek with a smile.

"Who knew Arthur the point man could be such a cheater." I laughed as he peppered my neck with kisses.

My hands entwined with his as they lay on my waist.

"I was not." He said convincingly.

I rolled my eyes. "You so were!"

"Was not!" he smiled. "You must have been seeing things." he explained.

I shook my head, still chuckling at his mad cheating during the game. "You were such a cheater. It was unbelievable." I joked and moved away to go put on my pajamas. Making it to the bathroom door, a hand grabbed my wrist and spun me around

"Quick, give me a kiss." He told me.

Smiling at the old memory, I leaned in and set my lips onto his. The kiss was soft, like always, but felt almost needy and rough at the same time. Definitely not like the first time we kissed. The first time we touched lips was like the day a kid was introduced to candy. Inseparable.

Arthur's lips were like nothing I had ever felt before. They were soft and smooth and oh so warm. He kissed me with true passion and always brought us close. We pulled away, both happy and full of smiles. I shut the door softly and changed into my comfy pajamas.

When I opened the door and stepped back into the room, I found Arthur already lying on the bed in his pajamas, looking out to the moon.

"Cheater." I whispered to him as I climbed over his body.

He suddenly sat up and scooped me into his arms, smiling as I let out a bunch of laughs.

"What was that?" he asked as I sat in his lap.

"Cheater." I giggled out again, squirming in his arms as his hands tickled my stomach.

With a few short gasps of breath a little while later, Arthur finally let go of me and laid down beside me in the bed.

"I love you." He whispered, brushing the hair behind my ear, as we gazed into each others eyes.

"I love you too, but your still a cheater." I joked and felt his hands slide back down my body.

He tickled me till I found my lungs suffered from no oxygen at all.

"Give up yet?" he asked, practically laying on top of me. Somehow during our tickle match, he rolled on top of me and laughed along with me as I squirmed below him.

"Never." I panted, looking up into his eyes. He had his forearms on either side of my head, putting most of his body weight there so he wouldn't crush me.

He shook his head and kissed me.

The rest of the night flew by and before we knew it, it was almost morning.

I woke up before him; just watching him sleep and hold me protectively. He was peaceful as he slept; his facial features all at rest.

Slowly and carefully, I slipped out of his grip. A few times I had to freeze and start over again as he would pull me close or reposition himself. When I finally did get free, I couldn't help but grin at him. He really did promise to protect me. Slowly I tip toed out of the room and carefully shut the door behind me.

"Interesting night?" a voice asked as I made my way to the kitchen.

"Morning to you too Eames." I smirked, pouring myself some coffee.

"Morning darling. Now, what did you do to our point man last night? The man still sleeping? He never sleeps."

"Thanks Eames." Arthur groaned.

"What are you doing up? I thought you were still sleeping." I said as I watched him get some coffee.

"Couldn't sleep without you there." He said tiredly as he drank his coffee.

I waited for a comment from Eames, but nothing came. Shooting my head over to him, I found him quite amused.

"So now the question comes to, what on earth did you two do last night? Finally get to the down and dirty 'ey?" Eames laughed as he sipped his coffee.

My cheeks turned red and I rolled my eyes. I think Arthur was still half asleep.

"Not everything with sleep deprivation has to do with sex Eames." I stated.

He looked at me pointedly. "We stayed up most of the night and morning talking."

At this answer, Eames rolled his eyes. "Right, and that's why the man looks like he's half dead."

"I can still hear you ya know." Arthur moaned.

Eames and I looked at him, very amused.

"Why don't you go back to bed?" I suggested.

He shook his head and then ran his hands over his face.

"No, im ok."

Rolling my eyes, I went back to my coffee. A few minutes of silence passed by, so I excused myself to work on the mission.

"We have the job." Cobb said walking in the door just as I was tying my hair back.

"Yea?" I asked.

He shook his head to me and smiled. When his eyes hit Arthur, he looked curious.

"What happened to you?"

Arthur groaned and wiped his eyes tiredly.

"Nothing, im fine."

Cobb's eyebrow shot up and he filled up a cup with coffee.

"No offense man, but you don't look fine."

Eames snickered at Cobb's comment which caused Arthur to just groan even more.

I spent a few minutes sketching out the layouts when another cup of coffee was set down on the table beside me. Looking up, I found the half asleep Arthur.

"Why don't you go back to sleep?" I asked him.

He shook his head and rubbed his eyes again.

"No, I'm good."

I watched him for a few minutes, struggling for consciousness.

"How are you fully awake?" he asked me with a groan.

"College- It's what tends to mess me up." I shared jokingly.

He nodded, eyes closing.

"What are you up to?" he asked unexpectedly, as he tried to keep himself awake.

Shaking my head, I got up from my chair and tugged at his hands. Being so sleep deprived, it didn't take much effort to get him up from the stool and over to the couches.

"Lay." I commanded.

Without another word, his body plopped down across the couch.

"What about you? Come lay with me." He groaned.

I shook my head again. "I'm fine. I'm going to be over there working on my drawings."

He let out a sound of displeasure but didn't put up much of a fight.

"Love you." I said as I bent down to kiss his forehead.

"Love you too." He whispered and fell asleep.

Going back to work, I accomplished sketching out at least three scenarios. A few times I glanced back at a sleeping Arthur.

"How's it going?" Cobb asked, walking over to me.

"Good, I have three places sketched out." I told him, feeling myself slip into the professional mode. Running a few things by him, I added more details and loops to the drawings

"How are classes?" he asked me.

I looked up from the pad of paper and met his eyes. "Its good…going great. Miles is an amazing teacher."

"He told me about your portfolio." Cobb told me.

I blushed and shifted my eyes away.

"He said that it was fabulous- that maybe I should take a look at it."

I shook my head in embarrassment. "It really isn't that good."

"It must be for my father to compliment it." Cobb supplied.

My blush reddened.

"Did you turn it in yet?" he asked me.

I snapped my head up to look at him curiously.

"Miles told me he wanted you to turn it in, and to make sure you were to follow through with that."

I smiled at the professor. Sounds just like him.

"Where does he want you to send it in?" Cobb asked, breaking my thoughts.

Brushing off the thoughts I turned back to Cobb. "He wants me to send it into some contest for some Architectural scholarship, along with the schools administrator- He thinks I would be able to receive a full ride and maybe even graduate early; that's actually one of the reasons he had me meet with him."

Cobb nodded and looked at my work.

"So you didn't send it in yet?" he wondered.

I shook my head. "Not yet, I will though."

"Well then, I expect it sent in by tonight." Cobb told me with a smirk and then walked off.

I gaped at him and watched his figure retreat to the kitchen.

_Damn him_. I swore.

Groaning with dread, I pulled out my laptop and began filling out the application. I scanned most of the drawing and pictures into the computer, when a groan interrupted me.

"Hey." I smiled as I saw Arthur rubbing his eyes and walking towards me.

"How long was I down for?" he asked.

I checked my watch and then clicked some buttons on my computer.

"About 4 hours."

He looked at me shocked and more awake.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked.

"You looked like death." Eames said, walking over to him.

I laughed and turned my attention to the computer.

"Its true man, you looked…tired." Cobb said, choosing his words carefully.

"Which by the way, why were you so tired?" he asked.

"Ari and I stayed up late last night talking." He told them.

Pairs of eyes shifted to me as I typed on my laptop.

"I can feel you all staring." I told them, clicking a button on my mouse and then looking at them.

"Its sent." I said with a nervous huff.

Cobb gave me a nod. "Good."

"What sent?" Arthur asked.

"My portfolio-I sent it to this contest…and administration office." I said.

"Administration-" Arthur began to ask, as Eames cut in

"Office?" he completed with a questioning tone.

"Yep. Miles thinks with this I will be able to graduate early."

"Do you?" Arthur asked me.

I shrugged and felt a twinge of skepticism as I looked at the computer screen. "I don't know yet. Maybe."


	15. Chapter 15

To finish the day, we ended up going to the dream world then planning out our next move.

"They plan to give us half a million each." Cobb told us.

"Half a million?" I asked shocked.

He nodded to me and smiled at my facial expression.

"So, the terms to the agreement were pretty simple. We are going to go in and train their minds against extraction or inception and we get paid." Cobb said.

"Easy enough." I said.

"Arthur, Eames- I want you guys in with me for the dreams."

"Isn't it just faster to divide the work?" Arthur asked.

"That requires many layouts for Ariadne and her coming into all the dreams." Cobb said.

Arthur's face flashed with doubt and understandment.

"I can do it." I said.

"I mean, im already going to have to go in with you for all the dreams anyways, at least this time I could recycle some old drawings and make some new ones up as I go." I told them.

Cobb and Arthur continued to look hesitant.

"It will be fine. Not a problem. Plus, I won't have to go over every one with you Cobb, so that should cut some time."

"Point man, that gives you a lot of work. You up for it?" Cobb asked.

Arthur nodded, accepting the challenge.

"Alright. It's set."

"What can I do?" Eames asked.

"I don't know. Help someone or something." Cobb said walking away with Yusuf.

Giving Arthur a quick nod, I ran off to my workspace to get started. Tying up my hair, Eames caught my eyes. I gave a laugh as I saw him walking over to a now working Arthur. It was like I could count the seconds till Arthur told Eames to 'go away or else'. And I could count the 10 little seconds it took for Eames to come walking over to me.

"What are you up to darling?" he asked, peering over my shoulder.

"Working." I said with a smile as I began sketching on my art pad.

"Anything I can do?" he asked.

Making a difficult choice, I turned to my stool to look at him.

"Tell you what. You teach me all you know about forging and what your good at and I will teach you how to sketch."

Eames looked at me for a second. "In other words, you show me what your good at and I show you." He stated.

Tilting my head to the side, I nodded. "Pretty much."

He debated with it for a little and then sighed. "Fine, since Cobb didn't assign me anything for this next week." He grumbled.

Laughing, I told him to pull up a stool and got him to work.

We sat side by side sketching out buildings for a while. A few times Eames graoned and complained, but over all he was being a good student.

"Bloody hell, who finds this much interest in buildings?" he asked, throwing the pencil down.

I let out a little giggle and then picked up his pencil.

"Keep going. It gets easier." I encouraged.

Another few minutes later, Eames and I had our very own city setting.

"Not bad." I complimented.

"Not bad? It's a damn good job. That's for sure." He said, still looking at the paper.

We continued to make a few more drawings till I decided to get to the fun part.

"Come on." I told him getting off my stool.

"Where are we going darling?" he asked.

"To the dream world." I said and looked around for the silver case. Finding it was no where in sight, I walked over to Arthur.

"Hey, do you have the case?" I asked.

He looked up at me and nodded. "Yea, why?"

"Can I use it? I'm going to go in with Eames." I said.

He looked at me for a moment before pulling out the case from under his desk.

"Did you need help?" Arthur asked handing me the large case.

"Nope, not if you don't want to." I said.

"I'll set you guys up." He told me and took the case gently from my hands.

"Ready Eames?" I asked.

"Yea, lets go." He said, sitting himself on the couch.

I sat down on the opposite one and waited for Arthur to pass out the lines. He gave one to Eames first then handed one to me.

"Be careful." He told me as I took the needle out of his hands.

"Don't worry, I will." I said and stuck it in my wrist.

Watching Arthur press the center button, I let my eyes close and my mind widen to the dreams.

* * *

"So what are we doing?" Eames asked.

Rolling my eyes I looked at him. "This is where you get to take your creations from paper to real life…or as close to it as you are going to get." I said.

He looked around and I watched, waiting for something to change.

"What do I do?" he asked.

"Open your mind, think back to what we drew. Incorporate the fine details you think is appropriate." I said softly.

Things began to change and the road of Paris shifted. When Eames opened his eyes, he was quite amazed.

"It looks exactly like what we drew." He said.

I nodded and smiled at the man. "Yup, and your subconscious fills the details."

"Do you always start with a sketch?" he asked as we walked down the gravel road.

I tucked my hands in my pockets and looked around.

"No, not always, but it's a lot easier to. Sometimes you can just do it on the computer, but then it tends to get harder to imagine the details and finer things."

He nodded and I challenged him again. Our time went on and on with this. Finding Eames quite amused, I couldn't help but smile as he felt saddened to leave.

* * *

"Amazing Ariadne." He told me when he woke up.

"Told you it was cool." I smirked.

"Have fun?" Arthur asked us.

"I think Eames had a lot of fun." I laughed as I pulled out the needle.

"Who knew Ariadne's job required that much skill." He said to himself.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." I laughed and stood back up to get back to work.

"Thanks Arthur." I said over my shoulder. He gave me a smile and finished packing up the things.

We worked again till late. Eames called it quits pretty early, which left me to the rest of the work.

"How's it going?" Arthur asked, watching me as I worked.

"Good." I mumbled, focusing on my computer model.

"What are you doing?" he asked, coming behind me and rubbing my shoulders.

Taking in a deep breath, I broke my stare from the screen and leaned back against his chest closing my eyes.

"Finishing up some more models."

"Why don't you go to bed?" he suggested.

I shook my head slightly, letting my eyes flutter open.. Craning my neck back I looked at Arthur.

"Im ok, I just have a few more to do."

"Alright." He said, reaching down to give me a soft kiss.

"But im coming back to pull you to bed in a few minutes." He told me. He squeezed my shoulders one more time before going off to his desk.

I sat hunched over my laptop, working on some of the latest models for a little while longer.

It was when I starting falling asleep over the piece of technology that Arthur came back and guided me to my bed.

I plopped down on the mattress with a grunt. The cold cotton sheets made me just want to curl up in them and never wake up.

"You're not going to change?" Arthur asked me with my pajamas in hand.

I let out a groan and turned my head to the other side.

"I will take that as a no." he laughed.

Walking over, he brushed some hair out of my face and kissed my forehead.

"Night Ari."

The door opened again, and it was then I realized he wasn't coming to lay with me.

"You aren't staying?" I asked.

"No, im fine. You just sleep. I will come in later."

"Promise?" I asked, accepting his answer.

"Promise." He whispered shutting the door.

I fell asleep not long after that, not even hearing Arthur come in a while later.


	16. Chapter 16

I woke up the next day with the sun shining in my face. Arthur's hands were around my waist and we were tucked in with each other nicely. I rolled over with a grunt and caught my eyes on the time.

I had about an hour before I had to be in class. Slowly getting up again, I had to figure out a way to remove myself from Arthur, yet not wake him up a few minutes later.

Finding a solution, I stuck my pillow under his arm which held my waist and let him cuddle with that.

Tip toeing, I padded my way to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me to shower.

The hot steamy water poured down my skin and relaxed my morning muscles.

When I stepped out, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a grey and white striped long sleeve shirt; changing quickly. Coming out to the bedroom, I found it still occupied with Arthur's presence. He was still asleep on the bed with his arms around the pillow, lying perfectly still.

Grabbing a red scarf from the dresser as softly as possible, I shut the bedroom door practically holding my breath.

Unfortunately, no one was up yet. But I really couldn't blame them. My class was an early one- a 6am one. Why I picked that time, I really don't know.

I set out a sticky note on the fridge, to tell everyone where I was going and when I would be back.

Walking out the door as quietly as possible, I made it to my classes in no time.

Finding class to be boring and very predictable, I decided to head over to a coffee shop when class was over.

Class ended at 8 and I found it to be quite a long time. This teacher was nothing like Miles; in fact, he was far from it.

He sat at his desk, assigning us reading and a stupid assignment posted on the board.

Finally, racing out of class, I made it back to the warehouse with a tray of coffees in my hand.

The only one up was Yusuf, who was working on some chemicals for the mission.

"Thank you." He said politely and then returned back to his own work.

I set the coffees down on the table beside me and got down to business.

Finishing another 3 designs, I found Cobb and Eames now awake.

"Bought some coffee." I told them.

Both of them raced to my desk and grabbed a cup of the warm liquid from the cardboard tray.

"How's it going so far?" Cobb asked me.

"Fine; I got some ideas from a few layouts I did today during class. I have about 15 layouts done total." I said looking at him.

His face showed a hint of shock and I felt proud.

"Alright, well I doubt we will need many more." He told me and then went off to do his own thing.

It was a half a drawing later that Arthur came out of the bedroom.

"Hey." He muttered, giving me a small kiss on the cheek.

"Hey." I said back, smiling at his morning glow.

"Coffee?" I asked, taking the last one from the tray. He took it with appreciation and sipped the luke warm liquid.

"So, care to share why I was sleeping with a pillow next to me?" Arthur asked bemused.

I let out a small laugh and looked to him.

"I had class early this morning and I didn't want to wake you; so I stuck a pillow in my spot."

"So I cuddled next to a pillow for the morning hours." He said bluntly.

Trying to hold back a laugh, I nodded.

"Wonderful." He joked.

We talked for a little while longer before Arthur decided to get up, grab some breakfast and then shower.

"Eames." I called to him.

"Morning darling." He said, kissing me on the cheek.

"Someone had a good night." I laughed.

He laughed along with me, shaking his head. "No, just a good morning. Thanks for the tea by the way- marvelous."

Smiling, I gave him a nod and had him take a seat next to me. I knew Eames wasn't a coffee person. Maybe because he was English he didn't like it, I don't know. Either way, when I went and ordered, I made sure to get a tea and have it marked clearly.

"So, can we start working on forgery?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders and got right to it. We sat there for a few hours, giving me a chance to comprehend all of the stuff.

We did a few examples and Eames gave me a few more tips.

After about an hour more, I finally got the hang of it.

"Not bad darling." He said, comparing the two signatures in the air.

Smiling like a fool, I got up and quickly hugged him.

"Thank you!"

He let out a laugh but hugged me back.

"It was my pleasure darling. Plus, I should be thanking you; you are the one who made the deal and saved me from boredom."

Since it was just about lunch time, Arthur and I went out and got lunch for everyone. We ended up taking his car, which was parked in a hidden spot around the warehouse property.

"So what are you and Eames working on?" he asked, quickly glancing away from the road to look at me.

"Nothing really; Im teaching him some things about architecture and he is helping me learn about forgery and things." I said.

Arthur came to a red light and then looked at me with interest.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yea." I said not finding it a big deal.

"So what have you done so far?" he asked, taking off again.

Thinking back to this morning, I couldn't help but to gush about everything.

"So, now Eames knows how to make things in the dream world?" Arthur asked as we got back in the car after picking up the food.

"Yea, I guess so. I mean, he knows the basics of everything of course but he could pass for my job if you were really that desperate." I laughed.

Arthur shook his head and took his one hand off the steering wheel to entwine with mine.

"No thanks, I would much rather have you."

Chuckling and rolling my eyes at his cheesy comment, I watched the world pass us by as we made it back to the warehouse.

Walking into the warehouse with bags of food in your hand isn't the smartest idea when a certain man named Eames is hungry.

"Bout Bloody time!" he shouts and takes the food out of Arthur's hand.

Grabbing his food out of the brown paper bags, he quickly sits down and takes a bite.

"Hungry there Eames?" Arthur asks, getting out everyone else's food.

Laughing along with everyone else, I unwrapped my burger and fries and munched on them.

Eames finished his meal in a matter of seconds and eyed my fries.

"Want some?" I finally asked after he practically was boring holes into them.

"Why thank you darling." He said taking a bunch.

It was fine until there was one last fry left. Eames and I both looked at each other and then dove for the fry.

Eames ended up grabbing it, but I raced after him.

"Eames! Come back here!" I laughed, jumping over the couch to try and get him.

"Still fighting over fries? I thought you would finally switch over to French food after living in Paris for so long." A voice rang out.

Immediately, I snapped my head over to the voice.

Jason was standing there, leaning against the open warehouse door smiling at me.

"Jase?" I asked.

"Hey sis." He grinned.

I darted over to him and jumped in his arms.

He held me tight and I couldn't help but to take a big whiff of him.

_Still the same old Jase- smells like he walked out of a trendy magazine._

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I gripped him tighter.

He laughed a hearty laugh and kept his arms around me.

"Missed you too." He said.

When I got down, I saw Eames chopping on my fry.

"Eames." I whined.

Eames shot me a smirk and continued to chew.

"Running over a fry?" Jase asked beside me. He had his arm around my shoulder and hugged me to his side tight.

Jason was different than the dream world. In the dreams, he was more professional looking. More clean cut and un-personal. But seeing him now, it was like the total opposite.

He was wearing a tight, dark green long sleeved shirt that showed all the curves of his muscles. He had on a pair of dark wash jeans and the same old shaggy dark brown hair.

His eyes were still a nice light brown and a pearly white smile. He did seem to grow a lot though. He was practically towering me.

"It was the last fry." I complained and then glared at Eames.

"Let me guess, you got a burger and fries." He smiled down at me.

Guilty as charged, I nodded.

"Same old Ar, stuck on American food wherever she goes." He joked.

"Same old Jase, stuck on my liking of American food wherever he goes." I retorted.

"Ari?" Arthur asked, looking from Jase to me with a protective look on his face.

"Arthur." I said happily. "Arthur, this is my brother Jase. Jase, this is Arthur."

They looked at each other, and ended up giving each other a hand shake.

"What going on?" Cobb asked coming out of the kitchen too.

"Cobb, Jason; Jason, Cobb." I said, introducing him again.

Cobb gave a nod then joined Arthur, who was standing a few feet away from us, just observing him.

"That's Eames." I said, pointing to the English man sitting on the couch.

"And over there is Yusuf" I said, pointing to where the chemist was sitting at his desk.

"So what are you doing here? Actually, how are you even alive?" I asked.

His posture changed and it seemed wore and tired.

"Can we talk alone?" Jason asked me.

Looking to everyone, who seemed quite hesitant, I sighed.

"Whatever you say to me, you can say to them, cause im just going to end up telling Arthur anyways, who will probably end up telling Cobb, which will include Eames listening in, which will lead to him filling in Yusuf."

Jason looked at me oddly, which just made me laugh. This was my life. I dragged him to the couches and waited for an explanation.

"Well, after we were captured…and shot." He said with sadness "I woke up."

"You woke up?" I asked curiously.

"But we were in two levels…which means you should probably be in limbo."

He gave me a smile. "You know a lot."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Shouldn't I since im apart of it all?"

He flashed me another smile as I challenged his words. "Well, long story short, I created a sedative that wouldn't send me to limbo if I died. I didn't think it was necessary, but I guess it was."

"So what happened?" I asked.

"I packed up. I didn't want to stick around and find Jack, mom, or Craft to find me." He said.

The thoughts of them made me shiver.

"That's what you were trying to warn me about all those times."

He nodded and put a hand on my knee. "I didn't want you to find out; especially like that."

My head snapped up to him. "And what were you going to do then? Let them get away with all of this?"

He sighed and squeezed my knee. "I know it's hard to understand but it would have been for the better."

Shaking my head, I totally disagreed with him. "No, it worked out fine. Perfectly actually." I said.

He looked at me, highly curious. "Im glad I got to see the real person behind the mask. She gave me everything to know that I never wanted to see her again. Plus, she helped me get over the guilt I felt for leaving."

"It all ended up fine. Im not sorry for it at all." I said truthfully.

After a minute of silence and thinking, I spoke up.

"So should we be moving to a different spot since Craft knows where we stay?" I asked.

Arthur and Cobb looked up suddenly, scared at the thought.

Jason shook his head. "No, its fine. I have my guys watching over this place. Any sign of Craft, they are ordered to take him out."

"Take him out?" I asked nervously.

"Shoot him." He said softly. I swallowed the lump in my throat and held a protest with my tongue.

"What are your people?" Arthur asked.

"My team. Don't worry, they are military trained- actually served in the military with me."

"You were in the military?" I asked surprised.

He nodded. "Yea, when the accident was faked, I didn't know what to do or where to go. So I joined the military. I waited till I learned a lot and experienced some things before taking up the adults." He said referring to Craft, our mom and Jack.

"Why didn't you come after me?" I asked hurt.

"Why did you donate all of our funds to a charity?" he retorted with a question.

Sighing, I was getting tired of the question with a question. It was not only getting on my nerves, but I couldn't keep up with all the unanswered ones in my head.

"Can we not do that now? I just can't handle it right now." I told him.

His eyes went from a light happiness to a more seriously sad questioning look.

"I joined the military right away and served 4 years. By the time I got out and looked for you, you were here in Paris. I didn't want to bother you right away, so I kept tabs on you. But when I saw you were taking this job, I couldn't let you go through with it."

"So you had people beat her up?" Arthur asked, slightly harsher than expected.

Jason looked sad and turned to me.

"No, I didn't mean it to go that far. I didn't expect you to freak out like that either. They were just supposed to come and tell you not to do the job. I would have done it myself but mom had a tail on me that I had a hard time getting rid of."

"How did you reach me in my dreams?" I asked.

He looked away. "Another drug I invented. It reaches out people who you are deeply connected with. In this case, you." He said.

"And you seriously couldn't have just explained this?" I asked, referring to this whole thing.

"Would you have believed me?" he asked.

Giving a hard sigh, I put my hands in my head.

_Would I have?_

"What are you doing here now?" I asked defeated.

He gave my knee another squeeze. "I needed to see you. I just-…After failing you in the dreams, I couldn't stay away any longer. I wanted to make sure you got out ok, and everything was…stable." He said, selecting an interesting choice of words. Anger hit me and I felt a little bitter towards my brother.

"Im fine." I said in a short tone.

"I've heard that response many times." He said.

Rolling my eyes, I looked at him. "Im fine. Everything is fine. You can go, because everything is fine." I said, and pushed my way out of his grasp and up to the roof.

_How could he not tell me? Was I really that low on his priority list?_  
A body sat next to me again and I couldn't but let out my anger.

"You can't just waltz back into my life." I said.

"I know." He whispered.

"And am I not important enough to you?" I asked.

He turned to look at me with a confused expression.

"Do you know how long it took me to get over you? Or at least pull myself together and function properly?"

He tried to bring me into a hug, but I pulled away and got off the ledge.

"I didn't ask to be saved." I whispered.

"I know."

"Then why did you do it?" I yelled, getting frustrated with the same answer.

"Because even though I couldn't be with you, I wanted to protect you. I didn't want you to know how horrid mom and Jack were. I didn't want you to be involved in any of this!" he said back.

"Shouldn't have that been my choice?" I asked, just trying to grasp some independence.

Jason went silent, and I calmed myself down.

"Im not the bad guy." Jason said softly to me.

"Aren't you?" I asked.

"Would you stop that?" he asked, getting impatient now.

"Will you?" I challenged.

"Damn it!" he swore to the sky.

"What do you want from me Ar?" he asked exasperated.

I opened my mouth to answer, but I couldn't think of what to say.

"I know I screwed up in a lot of ways, but I just-…I didn't want you to go through the pain I did." He told me.

Walking back over to the ledge, I sat down and dangled my feet next to him.

"Im sorry." I told him.

"Sorry?"

"For blowing up." I supplied.

He nodded. "You've changed quite a lot."

"How so?" I asked.

"You're not as hot tempered. Usually it takes you a while to forgive someone who hurts you or betrays you. Plus, usually there is more yelling."

I laughed a little. It was true.

"Arthur seems like a good guy." Jase said, looking at me.

I stared out to the sky and smiled. "Yea, he is."

"Did you want to add a title to his name?"

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Is he a friend…co worker…boyfriend….lover…?"

"Oh please. I am so not going into this with you." I laughed awkwardly.

"So he's your lover." Jason said.

"What? No!" I said blushing furiously.

"Friend? Boyfriend?"

"I work with him Jason." I scolded.

"So he's your boyfriend." Jason confirmed. Sighing, I nodded.

"Yea, pretty much."

All went quite and I looked down at my feet.

"He seems like a really good guy." Jason stated.

"You said that already." I pointed out.

"No, I mean as a boyfriend. When I asked you before, I thought of him as a good guy for working hard and taking care of the team and such…but now…with you… I know its more."

"It is." I whispered.

"How did it happen?" Jason asked, referring to the relationship.

"I don't know. It just did. Arthur- he's always been there. Ever since the job, he was like the steady constant. Of course there was Cobb and Yusuf and even Eames; but there was just something about being with Arthur that brought me this feeling that I got when I was with him and not the others. Eventually, we just turned into something more."

"How does it work with the whole working part?" Jason questioned.

I looked at him with a total serious feeling. "Nothing is different. Sure, he gets a little more protective and goes out of his way to find the safest jobs and routes for me to do or take, but that's Arthur- I wouldn't expect anything less."

Jason let out a little laugh as he looked down at his lap.

"Im beginning to really like this guy."

"Good." I smiled. "Because I love him. A lot. He brings me this happiness that I can only seem to find when im with him."

"It's not like im unhappy." I said rushed after looking at his face.

"Im happy; im really happy. But when im with Arthur, or around him, I just cant seem to wipe the smile off my face or shake the happiness that lurks on top of me. He just brightens up everything about me."

"You sound…in love." He said plainly.

"I am." I rolled my eyes, finding him really slow.

"No, I mean like really in love. The type of love that you rarely see. The inseparable love."

Thinking about his words for a moment, I smiled and nodded. Today was true evidence of 'inseparable love'

"Yea, you could say that."

"Do you really think im the bad guy?" Jason asked me softly.

I let out a sigh and put my head on his shoulder. "No, I was just upset. Everything you told me…I just felt…betrayed." I admitted.

"Im sorry." He sighed.

"It's over and done with. Nothing we can do to change it."

"How do I make it up to you?" he asked.

"By just trusting me- and by letting me live my own life, making my own mistakes."

"Meaning?"

I laughed, knowing Jason needed a more blunt version.

"Trust me with my decisions; accept my life and my team; accept Arthur for who he is; and let me do what I want without being all 'it's to dangerous' type of thing- cause personally, that's more Arthur's style." I chuckled.

"He does that?" Jason asked, referring back to Arthur.

I moved my head from side to side. "A little. I mean, he trusts me, but we both realize during jobs like this, it can just take a second to have it all go down hill. And we love each other too much to lose each other."

Jason hugged me tight. "I can't believe you have a boyfriend, are in love, and expect me to be ok with all of this."

I popped my head up slightly.

"I don't expect; I need you to." I told him.

He sighed heavier and hugged me tighter. "Then you are going to have to give me a few more minutes on this roof."

I let out a laugh and snuggled into him.

"So why did you donate our funds into charity?" Jason asked, referring to our savings to travel the world.

"Because…I mean, you were gone, or so I thought at the time. And I wasn't going to just use the money for myself; you saved up too. So I donated it to a place where people would need it more than us."

Jason nodded, and then we continued to talk about everything.

"As much as I love you Jase, Arthur is probably freaking out." I laughed.

Jason nodded and watched me get up. "Yea, he was kind of doing that when I ran after you."

"Yea, usually that's his thing." I told him and helped him up.

"He really makes you happy?" he asked one last time.

"The happiest." I confirmed.

"Race you!" I yelled over my shoulder as I went for the door.

Laughing was heard behind me and I looked back to find a jogging Jason. This was a challenge we did a lot as kids.

We both ran downstairs and looked for the nearest person.

"Tag!"

"Tag!"

We both shouted, looking at each other.

Cobb looked at us weirdly as I pumped my fist in the air.

"I won." I sang and then headed over for a worried Arthur.

His eyes looked panicked and worried but I gave a smile.

"It's ok. Everything is all good again. Sorry for flipping out." I said as I walked into his arms.

"It's fine, but are you sure we should be hugging while your brothers here?" Arthur whispered.

I rolled my eyes and looked up at him.

"He knows. And he's accepted it. So everything is good. You are in the clear."

Arthur looked down at me with a huge smile. "Good, im glad."

We stood there hugging for a while, just in our own bubble.

"Are they always like this?" Jason asked Eames and Cobb.

"Yup, pretty much." Cobb smiled.

Yusuf and Jason ended up talking for a while Arthur and I continued to have our 'moment.'

My phone began ringing and I unhappily had to go get it.

Rising up on my tippy toes, I gave him a quick kiss and ran to find my phone.

"Hello?" I asked.

Arthur watched me, smiling as we held each others gaze.

"Really? Wow, thank you."

He gave me a raised eyebrow, but I just smiled at him mischievously.

"Actually, can I write it to someone else?" I asked the person on the phone.

Giving one last grin, I backed away and turned to go talk in the corner, farthest from everyone.

"Professor Miles Cobb" I stated.

Hands wrapped around my waist as I was hanging up.

"Thank you." I sang and ended the call.

"Who was that?" Arthur asked, kissing my smiley lips.

"The scholarship company."

His eyebrows rose. "What did they say?"  
Faking sadness, I looked away. "I didn't win."

"But?" he asked, knowing there was more.

"I won $10,000." I smirked.

Eyes opening wide, Arthur gave me a huge grin and picked me up, swinging me around.

"Arthur!" I shouted in the air laughing.

"Amazing." He said, kissing me. We walked back to the group, our footsteps in sync.

"What happened?" Jason asked, looking at us.

"The scholarship company called." I told them.

Cobb looked hopeful.

"I didn't get first place- well, they said it was a draw. But anyways, since that's never happened before, the scholarship was worth $20,000, so they are splitting it up between the two winners. So, I just won $10,000." I laughed as Arthur kissed my cheek.

"What? Congrats!" Jason said, giving me a high five.

"Congrats Darling." Eames said, giving me a smile.

"I knew you could." Cobb smiled.

"Actually, the money isn't going to me." I told them.

They all looked at me shocked. Turning to Cobb, I smiled.

"The money is going to your dad. I thought he earned it more than I did."

"What?" he said disbelieved.

"Without Miles pushing me, or even trying to convince me to sign up, I wouldn't have been in the draw. And between him covering me for the job and worrying about me, I just thought he deserved it more."

"Thank you." Cobb said, still stunned.

"You don't need to thank me Cobb. I know its going to the right person."


	17. Chapter 17

The day was finally getting dark and it was time for Jason to head out.

"Im leaving sis." He told Arthur and I, who were talking by my desk.

"What, your going?" I asked with disappointment.

He nodded sadly, eloping me in a hug.

"But I will come back tomorrow. Is that ok?" he asked concerned.

I gave him a smile and nodded with delight.

"Sounds perfect."

We said our goodnights and even Arthur and Jason gave each other a manly handshake.

'Thank you' I mouthed to Jason after he accepted Arthur's hand in goodnight.

He gave me a small nod and then backed away to leave.

A while after Jason left, Arthur and I decided to call it a night.

"Night everyone!" I yelled and then pulled Arthur to my room.

We both changed and then laid next to each other, just having another one of those 'moments.'

"Are you…happy?" Arthur asked hesitantly.

Propping my head up, I looked at him with curiosity. _Where was this coming from?_

"Of course im happy. I have you, and this team, my brother and well everything else. Why?"

His hands fiddled with the sheets that lay across our bodies.

"I just wanted to make sure."

Leaning close to him, I watched as his eyes fluttered shut and his body leaned closer to mine. His breath fanned against me and I let my lips lightly brush against his.

"That's not the only reason why." I whispered and pulled away.

His eyes opened and his hands traveled up slightly.

"I just-…the way you acted around your brother earlier today, I just wanted to make sure you were happy. That nothing was bothering you."

I gave him a loving smile and kissed his soft lips.

"Im so happy- but not cause of my brother." I said.

He looked down at me, searching for the answer in my eyes.

"Because of you- you're the one making me happy. I don't need my brother to show me happiness or love anymore, although it's nice. All I need is you." I whispered.

He looked deeply into my eyes and wrapped me into the most passionate kiss of my life. His hand snaked around my neck, down by my jaw while his lips parted with mine.

We kissed over and over, with our hands traveling and moans escaping our lips.

"I love you." He whispered, looking at me with new found love.

"I love you too." I smiled.

It was that night that everything became real. We got lost in each other and let our passions go wild.

It was amazing and special- something that we would both remember for the rest of our lives (and something I hoped we would be doing a lot more often.)

After the most amazing sex of my life, he rolled off of me and pulled me close to him.

I cuddled up to his side, still panting.

"I love you." He panted softly and craned his neck down to kiss the top of my head.

Tilting my head up as his lips left my hair, I gave a huge grin.

"Really, I couldn't tell?"

He had me laughing hysterically after my crazy sarcastic comment. His hands traveled to my ribs and tickled like crazy.

"Ok, ok! Im sorry, sorry!" I panted with laughter.

"What was that?" he asked smiling and laughing too.

"Sorry." I said with a short breath.

He bent down, kissing me briefly, and then let me catch my breath.

"I love you. And before you say something, there is no sarcastic comment needed." I teased.

He let out a chuckle and turned on his side to look at me. His fingers brushed the stray hairs out of my face and he traced down my temple.

"I love you too."

My eyes drooped close a little and I turned my body to get closer to his.

One arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to his chest, while his other arm laid on his pillow, holding his head.

I kissed his bare chest softly as I snuggled close.

"Goodnight Arthur." Was the last thing I remember before I woke up again.

The morning light broke through the white blinds and hit my eyes.

I groaned with tiredness and felt around for Arthur.

Finding his side to be vacant, I pulled myself up and looked around the room for him.

Our pajamas were no longer thrown all over the room; instead mine were laid nicely at the foot of the bed.

_What the hell?_ I asked myself still groggy.

Figuring Arthur already got out of bed, I sat up straighter, with the sheet still partially wrapped around my body and grabbed my pajamas.

Once I was dressed, I stood up and stretched.

Last night was just indescribable.

He was amazing. It was amazing. Everything about it was just…breath taking.

The sex wasn't awkward or uncomfortable. Hell, it was very far from that. Arthur was patient, kind, gentle, sweet, and very good in bed.

Laughing at my silly thoughts, I quickly brushed my teeth, pulled my hair into a messy bun and headed out to find my boyfriend.

"Morning." I chirped.

Heads popped up, including my brother.

"Hey Jase." I said and walked over to the pantry for my morning pop tart.

"Still haven't gotten sick of those things?" my brother asked as he watched me maneuver around the kitchen. I threw away the empty box in the recyling and pulled myself to sit on the counter top.

"Nope." I grumbled with the food in my mouth.

Jase handed mea a coffee and I nodded with a thanks.

Taking a long sip, I realized Arthur wasn't here.

"Hey, where's Arthur?" I asked.

Cobb looked up at me and smiled knowingly.

"He just left to get us all something for lunch."

I nodded and looked at the clock. It was almost noon. Damn it was late.

I slid off the counter and tried to hide my blush from everyone. Cobb's knowing stare was driving me mad.

"Alrighty, well im just going to be working, so just let me know when the foods here."

I said, taking another bite of my yummy breakfast.

Turning on some music from my laptop, I quickly got to work on some school things.

Finals were coming up in a few weeks, and hopefully by that time I would know if I get to graduate early. So I got out my notes from my bag and put them in front of me.

Apparently I was so busy going through and highlighting key points in my notes I didn't even hear Arthur come in.

A red rose was set down beside me and instantly caught my eye.

Looking up, I found a smiling Arthur.

A grin grew across my face and I picked up the flower, sniffing the delectable scent. We looked at each other for a few more seconds before I got up and wrapped myself into his arms.

"Thank you." I said sweetly.

"Of course." He said, looking quite proud of himself.

"So why didn't you get me up this morning?" I asked, still holding the rose in my hands which were half way around his neck.

"Because you looked like you could use the few more hours of sleep. Plus, you looked pretty cute."

Blushing at his comments I turned my head away. His lips hit my cheek and tingled as he gave me a small kiss.

"Come on, I brought lunch." He said, taking my empty hand and dragging me to the kitchen.

"A turkey sandwich? How'd you know?" I asked Arthur, who was handing me the wrapped item.

"Im the point man; It's my job to know." He smiled mischievously.

Laughing at the ridiculous answer, I took the sandwich from his hands and began eating with everyone in the kitchen.

I noticed Eames paying especially close attention to Arthur and I, while we were sitting on the counter top.

"What's going on with you two?" he asked.

Arthur and I looked from each other, to him.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur asked, putting on a poker face.

Eames narrowed his eyes and watched us closely. I tired my hardest not to blush, so I just stared at Jason.

He was giving me this knowing look; a look that said he didn't want to embarrass me and say anything out loud. But by the way his gaze he seemed to be holding with me, I knew he had guessed it on the dot.

His eyebrow raised and I gave a small nodded. He took an unnoticeable deep breath and I narrowed my eyes slightly at him, signaling that he would have to deal with it or else we would have some bigger problems.

Eames took his eyes off of Arthur and looked at a distracted me.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" he asked, mostly to himself I think.

"And Eames has officially lost it." Arthur joked.

Cobb gave a smile while his eyes showed respect and care for the two of us.

"You know I will figure it out?" he told us.

Arthur rolled his eyes and I pushed down the dread of listening to him bug me.

"Fine, don't tell me." He grumbled, getting back to his food.

After lunch was done, we threw away our trash and all got back to work. Arthur squeezed my hand one last time before walking off to get some stuff done.

I set the rose, which was in a small glass vase, on a wooden bookshelf near the window, and went back to studying. Highlighting my notes and papers, I could hear footsteps approaching and I knew exactly whose they were.

"If you are going to say anything, it better be nice or else you are not going to be getting much in." I warned, still looking down at my notes.

"I surrender." Jason said with a small huff.

Looking up from my papers, I found him putting his hands up for the whole effect.

"What's up?" I asked, closing the cap on my highlighter.

"You're…"

Jason analyzed me from head to toe, just observing me I guess.

"I'm…?" I asked, waiting for some more words to come out.

"glowing." He decided.

"Glowing?" I asked.

_Was that the best he could come up with?_

"Yea, glowing." He sighed.

"Look, I know how much you want to play this whole brotherly role thing, but can you just…I don't know, spare me on this one?" I asked hopeful.

He sighed again and sat down on a stool.

"Please just tell me you used protection and stuff." He whispered to me.

I turned beat red and let out an awkward huff. "Of course we did." I whispered back. He nodded slightly and then slid back his chair.

"Look," I told him, putting a hand on his wrist to stop him from getting up.

"I know you think this might change things between me and him, and maybe it will- but it will be for the good." I said confidently.

"Neither of us regret what happened, and to tell you the truth, im unbelievably happy. I told you everything I thought of him on the roof." I said softly, referring to Arthur.

"And it all still stands. He is an amazing guy Jason. Please, just go with me on this one." I begged, hoping he would have my back.

Jason looked at me for a while and I felt disappointed to find how much he didn't trust me.

"I trust you." He whispered and kissed my head.

"But don't make it so obvious next time." He smirked, walking away.

I let out a laugh and went back to my studies.

When I couldn't stand it anymore, I went to the case files. Architecturally speaking, the mission didn't need anymore designing. Mostly, it just needed more looking over and then to get the assignment done.

Everything looked smooth, and I just sat there with my thoughts wandering. A question appeared in my head and I couldn't seem to find a logical answer. Knowing someone who could answer it for me, I slid off my stool and headed for my brother.

"Hey, Jase?" I asked, interrupting some chemical thing going on with him and Yusuf.

"Yea?" he said.

"Can I ask you something real quick?"

He looked up at me briefly and nodded.

"When I found out about Craft, he ran off and exited the dream. Well even when I was only a few seconds after him, he was already speeding off in a car. How is that possible?"

This time, Jason looked up at me for real, taking off his goggles and pushing me away from the chemicals.

"Did you watch Craft fall into the dream?"

Slowly, I shook my head.

Jason went silent for a moment, putting everything together.

"Well it's only a guess, but my theory is that he didn't really go to sleep here. He probably waited for everyone else to go under, had a team wait for him outside and then fell into the dream there."

"With special chemicals to tie our dream with his." I asked, half knowingly.

Jason nodded.

"Thanks." I said, feeling closer.

"Anytime." He told me, hitting me comfortless on the arm and then went back off with Yusuf.

Making my way over to Cobb, I found him hunched over files.

"Hey Cobb, when are we going to start the job?" I asked, sitting down in a chair.

"Tomorrow, why? Feeling bored?" he teased.

Letting out a laugh, I nodded my head. "Yea, pretty much."

"That makes two of us darling." Eames said, taking a seat in the chair next to me.

"Well, the day is already half way over, so you two just hang in there." Cobb joked.

Rolling my eyes, I got up and made my way back to all my school work.

A certain English man seemed to follow my move and enjoyed my presence.

"So darling, care to share about your glow?" he asked.

"My glow?" I asked, thinking back to my conversation with Arthur.

"Yes, your glow. You and Arthur seemed to have one today." He said.

"Well Eames, hate to break it to you, but we don't have a glow." I said teasingly and then looked to Arthur.

He was at his desk looking at a bunch of files in front of him.

"Ah darling, But you do. It's written all over you. You might as well tell me now, before I have to figure it al out completely and then tease you both endlessly. Its just easier to get it over with." Eames advised jokingly.

"Leave her alone Eames." Arthur's voice rang out across the room.

Both our heads snapped over to Arthur, who was still looking over a bunch of files.

"I still have no idea how the damn man does that." Eames whispered under his breath.

"That makes two of us." I said and watched closely as a smile appeared on Arthur's face.


	18. Chapter 18

Around dinner time, Cobb got a call.

It was Miles asking where he was to pick up the kids. Cobb totally flipped out and told Miles how much work he had to finish for the mission tomorrow, which caused Miles to venture into one of his lectures.

"I can go get them." I offered to Cobb who was still listening to Miles lecture.

"What?" he asked, covering the mouth piece.

"I can go pick up Phillipa and James and bring them back here. I'm going out with Eames to get dinner anyways." I told Cobb, twirling the keys in my hand.

"You sure?' he asked softly.

I nodded and flashed him a smile. Taking his hands off the mouth piece, he began talking to Miles.

"Ready darling?" Eames asked, walking over to me.

I took a quick look over to a talking Cobb and looked back at Eames.

"Yea, but I think we might be picking up Phillipa and James on the way."

Eames raised an eyebrow and looked at a frustrated Cobb. Leaning into me, he whispered in my ear quietly.

"He forgot to pick up his kids didn't he?"

Holding back a growing smile, I nodded to him. That was Cobb, always letting time pass him by.

Finally, after many sighs and pinching to the bridge of the nose, Cobb looked at us.

"Miles will be in his room at the university waiting for you guys. Thank you so much Ariadne." Cobb said.

I gave a smile and turned on heel.

"And what about me?" Eames asked to Cobb.

"Yea, you too Eames." Cobb mumbled, already getting back to work.

Knowing everyone's food order, Eames and I went off to get the kids and food.

"We should stop and get the kids first." I said and stuck the keys in the ignition. Arthur gave me the keys to his car and told me not to let Eames drive.

"Alright." He said and waited to arrive at our destination.

When we pulled up to the front of the building, Eames stepped out of the car and looked around the area.

"So this is your school." He said.

My nose scrunched up at the statement.

"You make it sound like you have something more to add to that statement." I implied.

"Maybe I do." Eames teased as we walked into the building.

Walking down the hall, I turned to the last door on the left.

"Hey Miles." I said, walking in the room and down the steps.

"Aria!" James and Phillipa shouted.

"PJ!" I shouted, making up the weirdest nickname for the two of them.

I kneeled down and opened my arms, waiting for the giggling kids to run me down in the hug.

"We missed you." James said, pulling away to look at me.

"Well I missed you guys too." I smiled.

"Now, go get your things, we have to go see your daddy." I said, guiding them to the desks to clean up their crayons.

"Ariadne." Miles said, giving me a smile.

"Hey Miles. This is Eames, Eames Miles." I said introducing them.

"I know, we've met darling." Eames said politely.

"You have?" I asked shocked.

Miles nodded. "Yes, he's done a few jobs with Cobb before. Haven't seen him around lately though."

Turning to Eames, I swear I could see him flustered and a little disheveled looking.

"Ariadne." Miles said, rolling my name off of his tongue.

My head popped up to him as I took my eyes off Cobb's kids.

"Thank you." He said.

I took a second and then realized what he was talking about.

"It was the least I could do." I told him truthfully.

"No, you didn't have to do that at all." He said.

"But I did." I smiled to him. "And im really glad I did."

A proud smile spread on his face and he nodded.

"Well, thank you. I truly appreciate it. I was glad to have you as my student."

"Was?" I asked, feeling my heart beat a little faster.

"Well…yes. Aren't you graduating early?" he asked me dumbfounded.

I shook my head slightly. "No, not that I know of. I haven't heard back from the administration yet."

Miles let out a sigh. "Oh, I thought that since you got the scholarship that they would have had you…"

"Yea, me too." I said sadly.

"You never know darling. It still may happen." Eames said from behind me.

I turned to him with a small sad and doubtful smile.

"No, Eames is right." Miles said strongly. "There is still lots of time. They could call you at any moment."

Knowing I wasn't going to get off easy, I just nodded and listened to the words of the professor and Eames.

"Let's go!" James said, tugging on my hand.

I looked down and smiled at the kids. Their backpacks were packed and they were ready to get out of here.

"Alright, go say goodbye to your grandpa." I advised.

Listening to my words, the kids ran off to Miles and said their goodbyes. Eames and I were out of there not even two minutes later. We walked slowly down the hall as P & J ran. Getting in the car, we took off to the restaurant to pick up our order.

"Hey, do you guys want anything?" I asked them from the driver's seat.

They were both pretty quite to the ride to the restaurant.

"Yes please!" they both laughed. Helping them unbuckle, Eames and I let them run into the place, not even bothering to yell at them for not slowing down.

I pulled them each up on those round counter stools that people can sit at and handed them a menu.

"Alright, what are you guys in the mood for?" I asked, watching them enjoyably.

They both scanned the paper slowly and carefully, making sure not to miss a food.

"Can I have a grilled cheese?" Phillipa asked kindly.

"Sure, how about something to drink?" I asked her.

"Chocolate milk." She decided.

"James?" I asked.

"Chocolate chip pancakes." he said very determinedly.

"Drink?" I asked again.

"Chocolate milk."

Telling the waitress, she added it to the order and told us to wait a few minutes. The chocolate milk came out right away and I handed it to each of them, watching as they sipped the brown liquid through the straws.

James and Phillipa were giggling slightly as I spun them both around on the stools.

"Faster." James ordered.

Spinning a little faster, their giggles came out more prominently. The order was called out and I slowed down the stools. Eames reached over me from behind and took the brown paper bag.

"Let's go guys!" I said happily.

Phillipa jumped down from the stool easily, while James had a little more trouble. His feet just barely touched as he tried to slide his body down. I guided him to the ground slightly and he grasped my hand.

"Come on." He told me as he tried to catch up with Phillipa with me in tow.

We were all out of the place running to the car. James ended up letting my hand go right as we got out of the restaurant and ran for his older sister.

"You're good with them." Eames said beside me.

I looked over to him and found he was staring at the kids with the brown paper bag of food in his right arm.

"Thanks." I blushed.

"Did you and Arthur ever think about having some of your own?" he asked.

Looking at him, I found him still staring at the smiling kids.

"That's what you did last night wasn't it? Sex?" he asked.

"So you figured it out." I said, looking at him quite surprised.

He looked at me briefly and nodded.

"And no snarky comments?" I asked with shock.

"Did you want me to start?" Eames asked with a slight smile.

I blushed furiously and shook my head.

"No thanks."

"That's what I thought. But you never answered the question darling." Eames said gently.

"Have you and Arthur thought about it?" he asked, nodding to Cobb's kids who were standing a few feet away by the car.

"I don't know. Arthur and I haven't really had a chance to talk about it."

"Would you want to?" He asked me as we started up the car.

Thinking about it for a second, I didn't really know. It would be nice, but even if something were to happen like I couldn't have any, it didn't bother me.

"It would be nice, don't get me wrong. But even if we decided not to or I something was to happen that I couldn't have kids, I wouldn't mind adopting."

"Really?" he said interested and quite shocked.

"Yea, just because they are not biologically yours doesn't mean you don't love them any less." I told him, explaining my view on adoption,

"Why are you asking all of this Eames?" I asked softly as I stopped at a light.

"It's just…the way you treat the kids; it's as if they are one of your own. You're very good with kids, and it's an interesting sight to see."

"Have you ever thought of settling down and having one of your own?" I asked to him as I pushed the gas again.

He looked out the window momentarily and then at me.

"At times I do. But I think about the job, and my way of earning a living, and I know I just wouldn't be able to raise a kid with this environment."

I watched him for a second out of the corner of my eye.

"You don't want it to be like Cobb and his kids." I whispered.

Eames looked at me slightly shocked. "You're smarter than I give you credit for too."

Laughing slightly, I looked in my rear view mirror to the kids. They were both singing along to the radio softly.

Before going on with my conversation with Eames, I changed the setting in the car and pushed the sound to the back so I could make it louder. They both sensed the change in volume and flashed me a smile.

"Just because it works out this way with Cobb's kids doesn't mean that it will happen with you. And even if it does, it's not exactly a bad thing."

Eames looked at me confused. "It's kind of like a 'bring your child to work day'. I mean, you may not be able to tell them exactly what you do, but that doesn't mean you're doomed for life."

"Observe how Cobb's kids react when they see their dad. You will be surprised how much they change and how Cobb himself changes too."

A few moments of silence pass, and I sneak a glance at Eames. He seems to be in a hard thinking mode.

"Do you think I would make a good father?" he asked softly.

"The best." I told him confidently, and took my eyes off the road to tell him that.

Peaking in my rearview mirror again, I found the kids still partially singing along. Making the music louder, I began singing along with them.

"Do you believe in magic?" I sang.

Chuckles were heard throughout the car and we all continued to sing.

"In a young girls heart. How the music can free her, whenever it starts"

By the middle of the song, we were all shouting and singing our heads off.

"If you believe in magic, Come along with me; we'll dance until morning, just you and me; and maybe, if the music is right, I'll meet ya tomorrow, so late at night."

We pulled into the warehouse, the music still blasting through Arthur's car speakers. The song soon ended and I lowered the volume and set the settings to how he had it before.

"You have a good voice Aria." Phillipa said to me as she got out.

"Why thank you." I said and shut her car door.

"Can we sing some more when we get inside?" James asked, taking my hand again.

"Sure bud. Right after we eat." I told him.

"Yes!" he yelled and then ran off to tell Phillipa.

"We're back." I yelled to everyone and then watched as the kids ran to Cobb.

"Daddy!" they shouted.

Eames and I stood there watching the small action that would usually get taken for granted.

"Phillipa! James!" Cobb said in a relaxed tone, hugging his two kids.

"See Eames, just because you work this job doesn't mean you can't live the double life." I whispered and grabbed the food from him to take to the kitchen.

"Hey." Jase said, kissing my head as he walked to the sink to wash his hands.

"Hey." I smiled back and took out the rest of the food.

"Hi." Arthur said, giving me a quick kiss.

"Hey you." I smiled.

"Aria!" James yelled, running to my legs.

I let out an 'oof' and laughed.

"Hey J, whatcha need?" I asked.

"Can you hand me my food?" he asked nicely.

"Of course." I smiled brightly and searched the table for his food.

When I handed his food, he quickly ran off to the couches. I gave Phillipa hers next and she ran off to find James.

"So I heard you guys were singing?" Cobb asked me as I sat on the counter eating my food.

Blushing slightly, I looked back at the two kids.

"She has a pretty good voice too." Eames said.

Narrowing my eyes, I threw a grape at his head.

"Hey!" he said touching his head and turning around.

He picked the grape off the floor, blowing on it and rubbing it on his shirt. The green food popped into his mouth and he smiled with delight.

I scrunched my nose, looking at him as he chewed.

"Did you seriously eat the grape off the floor?"

"Yes, five second rule darling." He said.

Rolling my eyes, I let out a chuckle. _What are we, six?_  
We talked for a while longer before James and Phillipa came running back into the kitchen.

"Aria! Come on, let's sing." They said, pulling on my jeans for me to jump down from the counter.

"What?" I asked confused. Everyone was looking at me, and I found it hard to focus on the little munchkins.

"Come on." They whined.

"Alright, alright." I laughed, setting down my plate beside me and walking off with them.

"What's up?" I asked as they waited for me in the main part of the warehouse.

"Music!" James shouted with excitement. I let out another laugh and brought them over to my workstation and opened my laptop.

"Hmm…alright. Lets see what we got." I told them as James sat on my lap with Phillipa right next to me.

"How about this?" I asked, and waited till 'Good Life' by One Republic played through the speakers.

They both 'eep'-ed with happiness and got up to dance and sing.

"Come on!" James and Phillipa said, pulling me to the open space to dance.

"Oh this has gotta be the good life  
this has gotta be the good life  
this could really be a good life, good life"

I laughed, just watching Cobb's two kids dance and sing. James ended up pulling me with him to dance and I couldn't help but feel a tad bit foolish.

It wasn't until I was actually dancing with the two kids that I let loose.

I spun Phillipa in a circle and then James. I also showed them a few moves and they giggled like crazy.

"Daddy, come dance." Phillipa told Cobb as she pulled on his hands.

You could see how awkward Cobb was feeling, but he let Phillipa pull him none the less.

Pretty much everyone was snickering at Cobb's dancing except for him and his kids. At one point, he gave us all a glare which just caused us to smirk even more.

"Dip me!" James giggled.

Swooping him up in my arms, I bent down and dipped him back. He laughed like crazy and we came back up, twirling in circles.

The song changed to 'Waka waka' by Shakira and the kids went crazy. James tried to do something funny with his hips, which all caused us to laugh.

"Dance." James whined, taking my arms and pulling them back and forth.

Feeling bad, I began moving to the beat and dancing with him. The smirk on his face was priceless.

When James looked over at Cobb and Phillipa he saw Cobb twirling Phillipa high in the air. His smile dropped and he looked upset.

"Hey." I told him, bending down.

As he looked at me, a sly grin appeared on my face and I flew him up in the air, spinning around and then setting him on the couch.

He laughed and stood up, dancing on the cushions of the couch. Finding it to be fun, I let loose and pulled myself up on the couch too.

We sang along to the song and watched as Phillipa came on the one across from us. Unfortunately, Cobb reached his limit and just watched us. I felt bad as Phillipa was on the couch alone, so I jumped down with James and went to the other couch with her.

We used our fists as microphones and sang along to the song. As the song ended, I felt myself getting tired. I jumped down with ease and inhaled.

"Aria." The whined; I laughed in exhaustion and turned to them with a smile.

"Im gunna take a five minute break- just five minutes." I told them after looking at their upset faces.

With a sigh, they nodded and let me go back to the kitchen. I went straight for the fridge for a bottle of water.

Closing the cap, I turned around and practically spilt the rest of the water all over me.

"Shit." I swore, finding there was more than just me in the kitchen.

"Sorry." Arthur apologized with a smirk.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked happily.

"Nothing." He said smoothly as he walked to me.

He grabbed me in his arms and stared into my eyes. After a few minutes, I kissed him lightly.

"What?" I asked with a laugh as he kept staring at me.

"You're a good dancer." He told me; whether it was teasingly or not, I didn't know.

I turned my head slightly, trying to decipher that comment.

"Aria!" a voice called.

Arthur and I let out a laugh, breaking our stare from each other.

"I think your being called." He whispered in my ear.

Finding his seduction a manipulative way to get out of explaining himself, I grabbed his hand and dragged him out with me.

"Look who wants to dance." I teased.

His head snapped to me and I grinned at the kids.

"Yes!" they shouted and kept jumping on the couches.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked him, smirking like a fool.

He groaned a bit but walked over to a couch.

"Oh, this I would pay to see." Eames whispered to Cobb.

"Eames? Care to join us?" I asked, grinning even more.

"Oh no thanks darling." He said with a glare.

I let out a laugh and turned back to Arthur. He held out a hand.

"If im going, your going." He told me.

Rolling my eyes, I took his hand and stood on the couch. Arthur pulled himself after me and we began jumping.

Both of the kids were laughing, which caused me to laugh too.

Instead of just plain jumping like the kids and I were doing, Arthur had to 'up' it. He caught my hand and spun me around.

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and he flashed me one of his classic smiles.

"Only you." I laughed as he spun me into himself.

He gave me another one of those cheeky grins and then spun me out again. It was only a few more minutes later that we both got tired.

Arthur and I jumped off the couches and sat down on them with a huff. We snuggled together and watched Cobb's kids jump in delight.

"Hey, im leaving." Jason whispered from above me.

"Alright." I told him, looking up.

"Be safe." I said and kissed his cheek upside down.

He gave me one last smile to Arthur and me and then left as quietly as possible. After a few more songs played through my laptop speakers, Cobb finally went over to his kids.

"Alright guys." He groaned as he grabbed James and Phillipa into his arms. "Let's get home."

"What? No." James whined.

"Daddy." Phillipa then whined.

"What? Come on guys, its getting late and we need to get you to bed."

"Are you going to read us a story?" Phillipa asked excitedly.

Cobb looked rather stressed.

"A story?" he asked as he set them back down on the floor.

"Yea, Grandpa or grandma always read us one." She said with her head cocked to the side.

"Oh." He said with a hand behind his head.

"You've never put them to bed?" Arthur asked.

Cobb looked at us and blushed slightly. "Not since they were little. I mean, I have a few times but they never asked for a story."

"Well read them one." I supplied.

Cobb rolled his eyes and took the kids hands.

"Come on guys, lets go." He told them.

They whined as they were leaving, protesting on how they didn't want to go home yet. I chuckled slightly, listening to every word that Cobb had to put up with from his kids.

"You're good with them." Arthur said as he watched me.

"Thank you." I told him with a smile.

Feeling tired, I snuggled closer into his side and smiled when he wrapped his arm around my waist.

"I love you." He whispered and kissed the top of my head.

"I love you too." I whispered back, slowly letting my eyes close with my hand on his beating heart.

When I woke up, it was dark and I was lying next to Arthur. I brushed a hand over my eyes and slowly looked around. We were still on the couch, but had a blanket wrapped around us. My body relaxed a little and I snuggled back into Arthur, who groaned and pulled me closer.

I looked up at the high ceiling and marveled at the way the moonlight hit the windows and cascaded over the warehouse.

Within minutes, I was falling back to sleep, dreaming of nothing.

Arthur and I both woke up again, but not to the dark. This time, it was bright and very morning like.

"And then love birds wake." A voice boomed.

I groaned at the loudness and felt the desire to go back to sleep.

"What time is it?" Arthur asked groggily.

"Just after 9." Eames told us with two cups of steaming coffee in his hands.

"Thanks." I mumbled and sipped the warm goodness.

"Why didn't someone wake us up?" Arthur asked, rubbing his face slightly.

"We didn't want to bother you. You both looked so relaxed." Yusuf said, walking over to the opposite couch to sit down.

"Ow." I croaked as I felt a kink in my neck.

"You ok?" Arthur asked softly.

"Yea." I sighed and slowly stood up.

"Im going to go take a shower." I said, setting my coffee down on the table and then got up and walked off with my body stiff as a board.

The shower was nice and hot. The steam gathered around me as I stepped in the small shower stall and eloped my body. It only took a few minutes for my rigid muscles to relax.

I took my time, letting myself just stand in the middle of the pouring water, just enjoying the warmth. As my hands became more pruney, I decided to get out and get dressed. I turned off the faucet and wrapped my body in a big white fluffy towel.

Dressing myself, I put on a silky dark pink button up blouse and a pair of dress pants. I slipped on a pair of black heels and checked myself in the mirror to make sure I looked professional enough for today's mission. After I approved the wardrobe I dried my hair just little, letting it stay somewhat damp so it would dry with my natural waves.

"Morning." Cobb said, right as I got out the door.

"Hey." I said, looking over to my right to Cobb's desk.

"Thanks for everything last night." He said softly as he got up from his desk with a file in hands.

"No problem; I had fun." I said smiling. "Did they go to bed ok?"

He chuckled silently and shook his head. "They hassled me, but I finally got them to both go down."

"How long did it take?" I asked, knowing he had some sort of trouble.

He looked at me with interest and then truly laughed.

"After James procrastinated to go to bed? Only about an hour and a half."

"Ouch." I said with a smile.

"Yea, it was quite interesting." He said jokingly.

We walked together, slowly making our way to the kitchen.

"You ready for today?" he asked.

I nodded my head and looked at him. "As ready as I will ever be."

He gave me a small smile and then put a hand on my shoulder. "This should be an easy job, so don't sweat it."

Looking over his shoulder, I found Arthur leaning against the kitchen doorframe, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Thanks Cobb." I said with a smile.

He nodded to me and walked into the kitchen, slapping Arthur lightly on the back.

"Hey." I told him with my hands in my pocket.

"You worried about today?" he asked me quite bluntly.

"Not really; I think Cobb is more worried than I am. I think he thinks im worried about seeing them." I told Arthur, referring to my mom, jack and Craft.

"Are you?" he asked me again.

I let out a breath. "Nope."

"Good." Arthur said, brushing some hair out of my face.

"That makes two of us." Jason's voice cut it.

I broke away from Arthurs gaze and looked at Jason, who was walking out of the kitchen.

"No need to be scared of them."

"Morning to you Jason." I said in a tone that had some annoyance.

"Morning sis." He smirked and walked to the door.

"Ready?" Cobb asked Arthur and me as everyone came walking into the main room.

"And the adventure begins." I said sarcastically under my breath.

Arthur let out a laugh at my comment and took my hand, leading me to the door.


	19. Chapter 19

"Moring Darling." Eames said giving me a kiss on the cheek as we walked out to the cars.

"Morning Eames." I replied happily.

Arthur and I got into his car, while Cobb took his car and had Eames, Yusuf and Jason in there.

We arrived at the Blackthorne Company about 20 minutes later. We parked in the staff parking lot, after receiving special parking permits, and then headed for the main doors.

Cobb led us into the building, taking immediate charge. He talked with the main guards at the head desk and obtained our passes.

Arthur was always right next to or behind Cobb, tending to him as the back up man or assistant.

This was the time our relationship changed from loving and free to serious and restrictive. We both understood that the job was the job. We were not to display any unneeded display of affection or kindness to each other. There were no special circumstances or benefits, (Although Arthur seemed to always try to find me the safest routes or choices to take.) and there was definitely no talking about our personal life during the mission.

The team all walked up professionally to the chief's office, not saying a word as we stood on the elevator, rising almost 20 levels.

It was quite intense and thrilling all at the same time. The plans and layouts of everything I had built and sketched out were playing in my head. The adrenaline in me was rushing through my veins and my heart pumped fast.

"Here we go." Cobb muttered and then walked out of the elevator.

We all followed in an orderly and fashionable manner; showing our seriousness to the job.

"Mr. Blackthorne." Cobb said politely. "This is my team."

Mr. Blackthorne turned around and analyzed us very carefully.

"Very good. I will send in some employers." He said in a tight voice.

He pressed a button down on his phone, and called for his secretary to send them in.

They all walked in nervously, each fidgeting somewhat.

Cobb immediately began to explain what we were going to and what to except. Some showed fear while others showed interest. The day went on like this, him saying the same thing as more new people came in.

The mission went by smooth, nothing was wrong. The cooperation of everyone was great and as weird as it sounds, the job was actually nice.

We left around dinner time, everyone quite exhausted.

"Well, that was easy." Jason smirked as we descended down the elevator. We all stayed silent, smirking slightly at Jason's true comment. We each got back into the cars and drove back to the warehouse happy as clams.

Our money was to be given to us tomorrow morning. Cobb had to go back and pick it up and then we all parted ways.

"You did well today." Arthur told me, taking his eyes off the road.

"Thanks." I smiled and looked back out the window.

"Something wrong?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"Nope; everything is perfect." I said.

He looked at me for a second before squeezing my hand.

"It almost seems too easy doesn't it?" Arthur asked me.

I tipped my head to the side and shrugged. "I guess so. Or maybe it's just finally an ordinary job with no complications."

Arthur let out a small laugh. "It could be that too."

We went silent again; both of us letting each other catch up with their thoughts. When I found I had enough courage, I turned to Arthur and looked at our hands.

"What are we going to do when we have to all split up?" I asked him.

I felt him take his eyes off the road and look at me.

"Is that what has you worried?" he asked."

I bit my lip and shrugged. "No, I was just wondering."

He squeezed my hand and gave me a smile. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."

"So you don't know?" I asked in surprise. Usually Arthur was always thinking ahead. It was what he does; trained or not.

"No, not exactly." He said, keeping his eyes on the road.

For some reason I knew he was hiding something, but I didn't push it. If he didn't want to tell me right now that was ok. We were all pretty exhausted anyways; maybe he just needed to sleep it off.

"Hmm, alright then." I concluded and looked back out to the window. The scenery was starting to become familiar.

"Are you mad?" he asked me nervously.

"What? No." I laughed slightly. "I was just wondering if you had any ideas or even a plan. It's ok if you don't. We can figure it out later." I told him as we pulled up to the warehouse.

He nodded and gave me a small smile.

"Good."

We both hopped out of the car and met up with the rest of the gang.

"Sleep." Jason groaned.

"I second that there." Eames said tiredly.

"Third it." I exclaimed.

"We all need the sleep. Get some rest. Good job guys." Cobb said and then headed off for a bed.

"Come on." Arthur whispered, pulling us to my room.

Loosening his tie, we both plopped on the bed and cuddled close to each other before falling asleep.

I woke up again and turned to see Arthur awake and looking at me.

"What?" I asked groggily.

"Nothing." He smiled and kissed my cheek. "Come on sleepy head. I think everyone is up."

Groaning, I pulled myself up and out of bed with Arthur's warm hand.

"Evening love birds." Eames cheered.

"Hey." I grumbled and pulled my hair up into a messy bun.

"What's going on?" I asked as we all sat on the couches.

"Let's go clubbing." Eames said with enthusiasm.

"Clubbing?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, clubbing point man. As in go to a club and club." Eames said.

"Really?" Arthur said sarcastically.

"Really." Eames smirked.

I rolled my eyes and looked at everyone else. They seemed in different to the idea.

"Im actually heading back to Boston, so I don't think I will be able to make it. Thank you though" Jason said to everyone and then set his eyes on me.

"Your heading to Boston again?" I asked, finding humor in where he stays.

"The one and only." He smirked, knowing what I was talking about.

When we were younger, we both always agreed to run away to Boston.

"_Let's travel." A 13 year old Jason declared as a 15 year old me cooked dinner._

"_Travel?" I asked as I stirred the spaghetti sauce._

"_Yea, we were watching some things in geography. It all looked really cool. So I say we start saving enough money for us to go traveling when we both graduate high school." He declared._

"_Sure, but where would we travel?" I asked._

"_Well, we could go all over- Japan, Korea, Paris, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Jamaica, England or anywhere else you want to go."_

"_That's a lot of money." I told him._

"_That's why we start saving now." He told me._

"_And then where would we go after all of this. We still have to go to college and stuff."_

"_We could settle in Boston?" he said in a more questioning tone._

"_Why Boston"?" I asked._

"_Well, they have a lot of history there, which I like; and they have many buildings and churches and stuff for you and your interests. So it's kind of like a win win."_

"_When did you get so smart?" I kidded as Jase and I set the table._

"_I was always smart; you just now began to notice." He joked and we both laughed._

"Alright, well then call me when you land. And tell your girl that I want to meet her one day." I smirked.

His eyes rolled and he blushed a little.

"How did you know?" he asked hugging me.

"I always know Jase; you just now began to notice." I said, using his line he once used with me.

"Love you sis." He whispered, giving me one last squeeze.

"Love you too. Now get out of here before you miss your flight or something." I laughed.

He pulled away and said goodbyes one last time.

"So who's up for clubbing?" Eames asked after he left.

"I'll go." I shrugged.

"Perfect." Eames smiled.

Arthur looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. "What? It's kind of like a celebration."

"And a damn good time we got out of this place." Eames added.

"That too." I said to Arthur. He sighed and then looked at Eames.

"Im in."

"That's the spirit." He chirped to Arthur. "Let's end this night with a bang!"

After that, everyone else said they were in, and we all went to get ready.

"You sure you want to go?" Arthur called from the bedroom.

"Will you loosen up?" I asked as I slipped on my dress from the bathroom. "It's just clubbing. It's not a big deal."

"Ok." Arthur huffed as he buttoned the sleeves of his cuffs.

I smoothed out my black dress slightly and then walked out of the bathroom. I heard Arthur suck in a breath and I looked at him.

"What?" I asked.

"You look-…" he stuttered.

I looked down at myself and then turned towards the mirror. I wore a black dress that was sleeveless with two medium sized straps that criss crossed over the chest/collarbone area.

The dress felt smooth and was snug to fit my body. It stopped at about a few inches above the knee and looked quite classy (or so I thought)

"What is it Arthur?" I asked, starting to fidget.

"You look amazing- breath taking." He told me as his eyes roamed my body.

I let out a sigh of relief and turned to the mirror.

"Thanks."

Touching up my makeup, I made my eyeliner a tad darker and more prominent to give me the edgy look.

Hands wrapped around my waist from behind and I saw Arthur in the mirror.

"Stop." I giggled as he kissed my neck.

"You seriously look beyond beautiful." He whispered.

I blushed at his comment and wrapped my arms around him.

"Why thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." I joked.

He stared at me with passion and desire. He was making my insides turn and the butterflies to rise.

"Come on, lets get out of here." I said and grabbed my heels.

"Ready?" I asked the guys as they sat on the couch. I pulled the hair tie out of my hair and gave it a little fluff.

Eames whistled while Cobb and Yusuf looked very shocked.

"What?" I asked again in exasperation.

"Darling, you look quite amazing." Eames complimented.

I blushed again and laughed at Arthur's earlier response.  
"Thank you Eames, you look pretty handsome yourself."

"Ready to go?" Cobb asked after a few more seconds of staring.

"Yup, lets go." I said pulling on my heels.

Eames was actually the one to help me walk to the car. He ran up to me and caught my arm, smiling as he held on to me.

"Arthur is probably ready to kill you, ya know?" I whispered to him.

He let out a laugh, but never objected to the statement. "I know darling; but I couldn't let that man just whisk you off your feet before I put up a fight." He joked.

"Cute." I said sarcastically as he opened the car door for me.

"Does that work with all the girls?" I asked.

"Most of them." He smirked and then shut the door after I was in.

We drove to a club, following Eames taste in clubs (which I hoped was good.)

He led us to this more secluded club, down an alley or two.

"Is he leading us to the dark side of the city?" I jokingly questioned Arthur.

"I have no idea." He muttered lightly as he continued to follow Cobb's car.

"Eames, what club are you taking us to?" I asked as I opened my door.

Arthur stood beside my door and shut it after I got out. I gave him a small nod of thanks but he just smiled it off and guided me with his hand on the lower part of my back.

"Don't worry darling, you will thank me later." He said and nodded to the bouncer.

We all walked into the club and found it actually quite nice. Straight ahead, there was a huge dance floor; it took up most of the floor. To the right, was a stage with the dj; and to the left were some booths and tables where you could sit. Off towards the back of the room, was a small bar with a bunch of seats you could sit at; and a little ways from there, to the right, was a staircase.

It led to the upstairs which had more private seats and rooms with windows that you could peer down to look at the dance floor.

Eames had us make our way through the tables and dance floor to the stairs.

"And this is Club Zero." Eames told us as he opened the door to a private room.

"Eames, I must say, you do have a pretty good choice in clubs." I told him as I went to the window to look out at all the people on the dance floor.

"Why thank you darling." He said as he sat on the white leather couch with his feet up on the glass round table.

"Drinks?" a waitress said, popping her head into the open door-ed room.

"Sure." Cobb said.

"To a successful mission." Yusuf toasted.

"To that." I said and began clanking my glasses with everyone else.

We all drank our drinks and talked about life.

"Let's go dance." I finally declared to Arthur.

I set my drink down on a small table and took his to set down by mine.

"Come on." I said as I watched everyone continue to talk.

Slowly he got up, and we went downstairs.

The music was pounding with a beat and we made it to the dance floor. He stood behind me, with his hands on both of my hips, feeling the motion as I swayed with the beat.

His head craned down to the side of my face- getting so close to me that I could feel his breath against my cheek.

I tilted my neck slightly, to let him get better access to me. We were so close to each other it was intoxicating.

My hands ran over his arms and lifted towards the back of his neck. My fingers slightly sifted through his hair at the nape of his neck while my hips continued to sway.

It was a very…sexual dance, I guess you could say. Everything about it brought us close and intimate. It was like our personal moment.

I shifted then, just as the beat changed to something different. This time I stood face to face with him, looking into his eyes. My hands stayed on the back of his neck as his retained on my hips.

No words were spoken, just the looks we shared while staring into each other's eyes.

"Come on." He said after a few minutes, taking my hand and leading me out the door.

"Arthur-…what-…" I was about to ask as we made it outside, but his lips captured mine.

He pulled away, briefly looking at me. When I looked around, I found the bouncer was no longer there and the street was darker than before. It was then I realized he took us out the back way.

For a moment, I felt slightly fearful. What were we doing out here?

But then arms tightened around me and brought me close to a warm familiar body.

"Arthur…" I whispered.

Looking into his eyes under the direct light, I found them full of passion and something that he was trying to hide.

He kissed me again, pulling my body to his as his hands wandered up and down my back.

I parted my lips, letting him get deeper, and closer to me and my mouth.

My back was pushed gently against the cold brick wall of the building as we continued to kiss.

"Arthur, what are we doing?" I asked as he frenzily kissed all over my neck while I slightly panted from our make out session. His hands started traveling down my thighs and slightly brought the dress up.

As my words hit him, the pace began to slow and he started to leisurely plant kisses onto my neck and make his way back up to my lips.

Giving a few more soft kisses, he broke away and put our foreheads together.

"Remember when you asked me if I had anything planned for after the job?" he asked me, panted slightly with his eyes closed.

I nodded to him, my eyes just staring at him, as I waited for him to show me those brown orbs again.

"I told you that I didn't know; that I hadn't thought of it yet." He said.

I gave him a slight nod, still keeping our foreheads connected. His eyes then fluttered open and he gripped my hips.

"Arthur." I whispered, feeling slightly uncomfortable now. It wasn't because of his hold on my hips, but they way he was trying to tell me something.

_Was he ending this?_

My heart beat faster and I swallowed the fearful lump in my throat. His eyes connected with mine and he held our stare.

"Well the truth is, I have been thinking about it. A lot." He emphasized.

"- pretty much every day since we started this whole relationship; and I know this is fast and probably stupid and crazy…" he rambled.

"Arthur." I said with exaggeration. "Just spit it out already."

"Find a place with me." He said. "When we all go our separate ways again, I want us to find an apartment together; to start working on sharing a life together." He said softly.

I looked at him with shock. I was definitely expecting a break up.

"Are you serious?" I asked, still half in shock.

"I am." He said with dead seriousness in his voice while brushing some hair out of my face.

"Then…yes. Sure. Of course." I laughed, finding a million ways in my head to say yes.

"Really?' he asked now doubtful I was giving him the real answer.

"Really." I confirmed with a smile.

He let out a shaky breath and then kissed me.

"Im sorry I didn't tell you the complete truth." He said, referring to his answers from the car.

"Arthur." I said kissing him again.

"Its ok, I knew something was bothering you. I just figured you would tell me later, and truthfully, im glad you did. It was very…memorable." I laughed, thinking about our little make out session before.

He seemed to blush a little and I squeezed his hand.

"Either way, its ok. It happens, and im definitely not the one to judge." I said and brought my hand up to rub his cheek bone.

"I love you." I whispered.

A small smile grew on his face and he leaned in to kiss me again.

"I love you too."

A few minutes later we went back into the club and up in the room.

"Where were you guys? We couldn't see you." Cobb asked.

"Oh, you must have missed us." I said as Arthur smiled.

Cobb gave us a weird look and looked to a slightly buzzed Eames.

"Shall we dance darling?" Eames asked me.

Smiling at his odd English words, I nodded and took his arm.

"That we shall." I responded and laughed as we walked down to the dance floor.

I danced with Eames like I did with Arthur when we were on the couches- friendly.

There was no intimacy or love connection going on in our dancing; it was jus fun.

Eames had me spinning and laughing most of the night.

His drinking tolerance, I must say, was higher than I thought.

By the end of the night, he didn't even act wasted. He appeared to be the same old Eames, but paying close attention I could see a slim side of a drunken man.

We all said our goodnights as soon as we reached the inside of the warehouse.

"Goodnight Everyone." Yusuf called.

"Night!" I responded with Arthur in my hand.

"Night Eames." I chuckled as he grumbled and headed straight for his room.

"Night you two." Cobb said with a smile.

We gave him a nod and went to our room. Usually Cobb would go home and sleep there, but because of just doing a mission and the part where he had to get the money early in the morning, I was guessing he would just crash here.

"Let's get you out of that dress, shall we?" Arthur asked smirking.

I let out a laugh and let his hands roam.

Apparently the night really will end with a bang…


	20. Chapter 20

Arthur and I woke up together, a sheet wrapped around us.

"What time is it?" I asked softly as he kissed me softly.

"Just after 8." He said, watching my face fall.

Cobb was going to pick up the money at 8 and then by 10 we would all be going our separate ways.

"I can't believe this is happening." I said feeling the queasy feeling in my stomach again. Arthur's eyes showed sorrow and pity and I couldn't stand to look into them. I rolled out of bed softly, taking part of the sheets to keep me partially covered.

"Ari." He said softly.

I closed my eyes and sucked in the tears_. It was going to be different this time…I wasn't going to be alone._

"Ar." He said a little stronger this time. His body was now against my bare back and he kissed my shoulders.

"It's different this time." He said, taking the words out of my head. "I promise you."

Slowly, I turned my head to him and let a tear fall.

"I just can't believe it's all over again."

"But we have something new starting." He told me softly as he wiped the tear away.

I stayed there for a while, just watching the sun shine through the covered windows while dealt with my fearful thoughts. Arthur stayed right behind me, kissing my shoulder and running a comforting hand over and down my back.

"Where do we go from here?" I asked quietly.

His kisses stopped and he looked at my face.

"It goes anywhere you want it to."

"I'm serious Arthur." I said, turning to finally face him.

"We go take a shower." He said with no teasing expression. He took my hand and pulled me with him.

"And we take one step at a time." He whispered in my ear.

We walked to the bathroom, with sheets wrapped around us and our hands entwined. Arthur reached over me, turning on the water.

"I love you, and that's never going to change." He told he straight in the eye.

My heart began to open back up and the depressed shadow lifted a bit.

"I love you too." I said, kissing his lips.

When the water was ready, we dropped the sheets and stepped in. The steam gathered around us and the water poured down our bodies. We stood there, just holding each other in our arms. Our bodies were wet and warm against each other which felt comforting.

"Thank you; for always being here." I told him while looking up to his eyes as he pushed some wet strands of hair away.

"I will always be here for you- remember that." He commanded sweetly and bent down to kiss me again.

As the water started to turn a bit cold, we got out and dried off. Both of us, dressed in our normal attire; Arthur in one of his three piece suits while I had on a shirt, scarf, and jeans.

"Ready?" he asked, as I finished tying up my sneakers on the bed.

"Yup" I answered, pushing my self up and out the bedroom door.

"Morning darling." Eames said not looking up from his paper. He did though, look down to grab his tea and then back to the paper.

"And the point man too." He added.

"Morning Eames." I smiled and headed into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Where's Yusuf?" I yelled to Eames.

"Here!" he said, rolling his suitcase full of things out by the door.

"Just gathering my things." He said as he walked into get some breakfast.

I tried giving him a smile, but it turned out to be sort of sad looking. Arthur came behind me a planted a kiss on the top of my head.

The action lifted my spirits a bit, and I continued to get a pop tart out.

Arthur grabbed his morning coffee and dragged us to one of the couches. We sat in each others arms, just reading the newspaper he was holding together.

"You both are sort of cute yet sickening." Eames said turning to look at us.

"Thank you?" I asked, trying to take his observation as a statement.

"So Eames, where are you headed after this?" I asked, trying to just get a feel for this whole leaving thing again.

"Cambodia maybe?" he shrugged.

"You don't know where your going?" I asked shocked.

"Do you?" he wondered.

I opened my mouth to answer; when I figured out I had really no idea what Arthur and I were going to do.

"Speaking of which, what do you and the point man going to do when we split in…less than an hour?" he asked checking his watch.

I paled a little and found Arthur speaking for me.

"I asked Ari to move in with me."

"And she said yes?" he said surprised.

"I did." I answered, watching as Arthur opened his mouth to say some comment to trigger a meaningless argument between the two friends.

I smiled happily at the man behind me, and he smiled right back

"So where are you guys going to go then?" Yusuf asked, coming to sit down on the opposite couch.

I looked at Arthur and raised a brow.

"I have a place here in Paris that we could live at for a while. Its not furnished or anything; it's just a place, but I think it will do." He said, more directing the information to me.

I nodded and smiled to the rest of the team.

"I guess that's the plan."

"Sounds lovely." He said softly before going back to the paper.

"So we have to go furniture shopping?" I whined to him as I sat back in his arms.

He let out a small chuckle and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Im afraid so." He smiled.

We talked for a little while longer, mostly to Yusuf. Apparently he was heading back to India to work on some research and his hidden stash of sleeping people.

The warehouse door groaned and we found Cobb coming in with two big bags. Im guessing it was raining since his hair and clothing was partially wet.

I listened close as I watched him shut the door. Rain was pattering against the place.

And the sun turns into rain. I said gloomily to myself.

"So we got paid half in cash and half in check. Take your pick." He told us, setting down the bags in the middle of the table.

"Everything went well then?" Arthur asked, making sure there were no complications.

"Perfect." Cobb answered, looking between Arthur and me.

I decided to take the cash; some of the stacks were made with bills of twenties, while others carried the hundred dollar bills.

Arthur grabbed a check and folded it up into his suit jacket pocket.

"So what happens with this?' I asked, holding up a lot of money in my hand.

"We take it, leave, live our lives and don't come back until-…"

"Until we get another job right?" I asked hopeful.

Everyone looked at each other and nodded. It was like a silent mutual agreement.

I let out a breath I seemed to be holding and stood up to grab my bag that was hanging up by the door.

I put my money on Arthur's lap and grabbed the bag. It was empty and light weight.

Perfect. I thought in my head.

Opening the bag, I saw Arthur's hands reach over and stick some of the bills in there.

"Thanks." I smiled. He flashed me a smile of his own and dumped the rest of the money in there.

"We should get packed." He told me after we shut the bag.

"Yea." I sighed. He took my hand and gave it a squeeze before walking off to our room.

As we stepped into the room, Arthur did something I haven't done since I was here; he turned on the light.

The bulbs blew up with light and spread it across the room. We packed slowly, not exactly talking with each other.

"You ok?" he asked, coming over to me as I stood in front of my drawers.

"What? Yea." I said, giving him a shaky smile and making sure I packed everything.

"Its ok if everything isn't ok you know." He told me, trying to use some psychological crap on me.

"I know." I laughed as he wrapped me in his arms.

"Don't worry, I was just thinking."

"That statement, all on its own, just makes me worried." He joked.

I laughed freely, this time feeling true happiness.

"No really, it wasn't anything bad. Its just weird packing up things, that's all."

"You sure?" he asked, staring at me.

"Positive. I guess knowing you had some sort of plan to where we are going and what we are doing gave me some comfort." I smiled.

He brushed his nose against mine and briefly looked at my lips.

"Good; im glad. Now are you all ready?" he asked, looking at my duffel bag.

"Yup, pretty much." I said looking over everything, just double checking.

"Alright, lets go." I told him picking up my duffle bag.

He rolled his eyes and took the bag from my hands. "For how long you've been with me, you still don't know I would take that?" he asked, putting it on his shoulder and taking his own suitcase.

"I do, I just like to see what you do sometimes." I teased with a grin.

We walked out with him carrying the bags and me with…nothing.

"Make the man do all the work I see." Eames laughed as he watched Arthur with our bags.

"Shouldn't it always be like that?" I joked as I watched Arthur go put our stuff in his car.

Before I had enough time to react, Eames swiped me up into the air, tickling my sides.

"Alright." I laughed as he set me back down.

"I'm going to miss you Eames." I told him as I gave him a hug.

"I'm going to miss you too darling." He said.

"Text me or something every once and a while, will you?" he asked.

"If you do the same with me." I grinned.

He nodded to me, finding a smile reach his face.

"It was good doing another job with you Ariadne, even though this one turned out to be longer than expected."

My brows furrowed and I slowly nodded. "Yea, it did. But it was none the less enjoyable." I smiled to him.

"Exactly." He chirped and bent down to kiss my cheek.

"Eames, get your lips off my girl. " Arthur hollered as he came back in from the rain.

"Oh toughen up point man; I was just giving Ariadne here a kiss goodbye."

I laughed as I saw Arthur's eyes narrow and he came over to wrap his arms around my waist.

The rest of the guys came out then; Cobb with his stuff in hand, telling us our goodbyes.

"Arthur." He said, giving the man a hug. "You did well. We'll keep in touch; hit me up if there's another job." Cobb said, giving him a slap on the back.

"Ariadne." He said, turning to me.

"Thank you for everything these past few weeks. From getting my kids, to staying strong, and to convincing us all to finish the job. I owe you." He told me with a hug.

I pretended to think and then looked at Cobb. "I remember a certain time where you gave me a lift to Miles's class and I told you I owe you. I think now then we can call this even." I said.

Cobb gave me a bright smile then kissed the top of my head. "I owe you a lot more than just a ride in my car to my father's class, but thank you for trying to even it out." He laughed and then walked away.

"Your girl is just getting many kisses today." Eames laughed to Arthur.

Hearing that, I couldn't help but to laugh along and look at the two men. They may bicker like old women, but they sure are perfect friends.

They both gave me a smile and I waved.

"Goodbye Ariadne." Yusuf said coming up to me.

"Yusuf!" I laughed giving him a hug. This time his arms wrapped around me, reciprocating the hug.

"Wow, you've learned." I joked, referring to his hug lessons.

"Yes, I do catch on fairly quick." He said with a smile.

"Have fun in India for me, and stay safe." I told him.

He nodded to me and picked up his bag again. "Don't worry, I will. And you stay well and enjoy your life with Arthur." He told me.

I nodded to him and watched him leave.

"Don't worry Yusuf, I will." I whispered.

"Ready?" a voice asked from behind me.

"Yea." I smiled, turning to my boyfriend. "Let's get out of here."

Arthur led me out, with a hand on my lower back, opening the door as we rushed out in the rain for the car.

It was raining hard now, practically pouring. Arthur ran over to the driver's side of the car and quickly got in.

"Ready?" he asked again.

"Ready." I said in confirmation.

We took of in a jiff, heading for our new home.


	21. Chapter 21

It was right outside Paris; this apartment Arthur had bought. There was only three levels and he was on the third.

When you first walked in, there was a white poled hard wooden staircase that led up to the floors.

It angled around itself like a spiral as we walked up and you looked down.

It reminded me about the time Arthur was teaching me paradoxes. We would move up the stairs but then suddenly, the steps would change and everything would be unexpectantly different.

"Alright, now keep in mind this place doesn't have any furniture or other things. Its mostly just rooms." He told me as he put the key in the door.

"I know, and I will keep it in mind. Now show me." I said with excitement.

He turned the key and opened the door, letting me step inside first.

The apartment was an open area. It had a big center room and off towards the side it had a sliding door and balcony. To the right of the big area was a small peninsula counter top and an empty kitchen.

The place did however have a fridge and stove/oven.

"Well, you have some things." I joked as I glanced at the items.

I walked out of the kitchen and down the long hall way.

To the right was a bedroom. It was a pretty nice and big one. Their was a closet against the wall and windows facing you as you walked in. To the right of the room was a bedroom that was huge. It had a step in bathtub that was long and wide, a glass shower that could probably fit a group of people, and a nice countertop with a built in sink.

The toilet had its own little area; a closet like door was there to shield away any eyes and maintain privacy.

When I walked out of the bathroom and the bedroom, I looked off to the side slightly and found a closet. It was empty of course, but looked pretty wide and spacious.

Next to it was another bedroom; this one being smaller. It had windows facing you when you first walked in too, but had a closet almost right next to the wall that held the open door.

The second bathroom was at the end of the hall, also being smaller. It had a sink with a small hanging mirror when you first walked and off to the left side was a toilet and a shower/bath tub.

"This is a nice place." I complimented to Arthur as I walked out of the smaller bathroom.

"Thank you." He said with a slight blush.

"And you've never used this place?" I asked him as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Nope, not really. I've never really stayed in Paris for a mission."

"But you bought a place here anyways?" I asked confused.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know why I bought it. It just seemed nice and a good safe house."

"A safe house with no furniture." I added.

He flashed me a smile and kissed my lips.

"So what are we going to do with the rest of our day?" I asked in curiosity.

"You don't have any work or anything to do?" he asked.

"Nope." I said, popping the 'p'

"No finals?" he asked, knowing I had to do something.

I let out a groan and set my forehead on his shoulder. "Don't remind me about that."

He let out a chuckle and kissed my cheek.

"How about you get some studying done while I go out and get us a safe and something to eat"

I looked up at him confused. Why would we need a safe.

"The money Ari." He said, practically reading my mind.

My cheeks blushed and I rolled my eyes. How could I forget?

"sure, that sounds like a plan I guess."

He pecked me on the lips one last time before taking his keys and shutting the door.

I over to the door, where Arthur had put all of our stuff. I grabbed my bag which held all my papers and laptop and I set it on the counter.

Grabbing what I needed, I turned back to the big open space I called the family room and looked around.

"Where to sit." I said to myself.

Finding a perfect spot in the middle of the floor, I plopped myself down and began to study.

About a few hours later, Arthur came walking back into the apartment with a bag of food and a big box that had a picture of a very expensive looking safe.

"How's the studying going?" he asked me as he pulled out the food.

"How do you think studying is?" I asked with a groan.

I heard him chuckle a bit and walk over to me.

"That good huh?" he said with a diet coke and sandwich in hand.

"Yup." I told him and took my food from him.

"So what kind of safe did you buy?" I asked, looking up from my notes.

"A good one." He told me as he stood there by the door watching me.

"Funny." I said sarcastically.

"Where are we putting it?" I asked, swallowing my food.

"In the closet. You'll see exactly where I have in mind later, when I install it." He said, taking a bite of his own sandwich.

I nodded and then went back to studying.

After twenty more minutes of looking at my hand written notes, I heard something like a drill.

I stood up from the floor and walked to the noise with my sandwhich still in hand.

Arthur was in the hall, head in the closet with an electric drill.

"What are you doing?" I asked bewildered.

"Ow." He said as he hit his head against a shelf in surprise.

"Sorry." I said trying to hold back a laugh.

He turned around and looked at me. "I installed an old type of safe when I first bought the place. Unfortunately I didn't use it much, but I decided to get the updated one just in case this old thing couldn't hold up." He said.

I looked at him quite interested and nodded. He went back to work and soon he was pulling out something that looked like a hotel safe.

"Ahh, so that's the old thing." I said, watching him as I leaned against the wall across from the closet.

"Yes." He grunted, setting down the heavy safe on the ground.

Soon he began to install the new one, and I couldn't help to just be in his company. I ended up grabbing my notes and sitting across from him, just briefly watching as he installed the new device.

"So why on the right wall of the closet?" I asked him randomly.

He looked at me slightly, before drilling the safe into its spot.

"I thought it would be the most inconspicuous there. If I was to put it dead center, obviously someone would see it and try to break into it; if I put it on the left side, when you would walk out of the bedrooms or bathroom, you would be able to see it if the closet was open. So the right side was most inconspicuous."

"Interesting." I said and went back to my work.

The drilling finally stopped after a few minutes and then a few sounds of buttons being pushed.

"It works?" I asked, getting up from the wall.

"Yea, now come here." He told me.

I stood beside him, catching a look of what he was doing.

"Put your thumb here." He instructed, pointing to this rectangular thing.

I set my thumb right where he told me and felt as if it was sinking a little. The scanner's place to put your thumb had like this squishy plastic feel. It was almost like materials of a kid's stress ball. The fingerprint scanner suddenly lit up and scanned my fingerprint up and down a few times.

"That was cool." I said as the screen read 'scanning complete.'

Arthur hit a few more buttons and then made sure the safe was locked.

"Yea; now, only you and I will be able to open up the safe." He told me.

"The pass code is the address of the warehouse. Got it?" he asked.

I nodded, that is simple enough.

He gave me a quick kiss on my head and helped me pick up all my things.

"How long are you going to study for?" he asked as we stood up.

"I'm done for the day; No more." I told him as I put the things in my bag.

"Then lets quickly put this money in here and go shopping for some things shall we?" he asked.

I nodded to him and watched as he took my bag to empty out the money.

When he was finished he hung up the bag on the wooden coat rack behind the door and then held out his hand.

"Lets go." He said and we walked off out the door.

* * *

We ended up going to a place like Target. It was nice, clean, and had mostly everything we needed.

Arthur and I grabbed a cart and went down every aisle, finding we needed practically everything.

"blankets." I said, looking for a sign with home things.

"Blankets?" Arthur asked behind me with the cart.

My eyebrow lifted and I looked at him. "If you can find us a bed by the end of today, I will for sure call you superman." I said.

"But if not, we are going to need lots and lots of blankets to sleep on." I said and walked off to the home area.

"We so need another cart." I laughed as our items were stacked above the cart.

This time, he turned to me with a raised eyebrow. "Don't we have everything?"

"Arthur, we still need food and pillows and sheets." I said, still purely amazed how high this tower of things were.

"Hmm…alright. I will go get one." He said.

"No its ok." I said with a hand on his chest.

"Stay here, I will go get one." I smiled and then walked back to the front of the store.

Within minutes I was back with Arthur looking at all the different sheets.

"Which one?" I asked, holding up some beige linen colored sheets.

"What's the difference?" Arthur asked puzzled.

I looked between the two, then held up each.

"This one has a 750 thread count, while this one has 1000 thread count."

He stared between the two for a moment then spoke up. "750."

I nodded nonchalantly and then threw them in the basket. Next was pillows; they were actually quite easy. Arthur and I both found ones that we liked and threw them in the basket.

Two hours later, and a very expensive bill, we were finally done and in the car on our way home.

"Never again." I groaned with my head against the cold window.

"We still have to go to IKEA." Arthur reminded me.

I let out a groan and he squeezed my hand with a chuckle. Our bags practically filled the whole car. The back was completely jam-packed while the back had bags from the seat to the floor.

We pulled up to a parking space and the thought of walking them up made me groan.

"Please don't tell me we have to carry all of those bags up three flights of stairs." I said.

He looked at me and then gave me a smile. "No, we don't. There is an elevator right under the stair; you must have missed it when we first walked in. we can use that." He told me as he got out of the car to take in the bags.

The elevator was just as packed as the car. Both our hands were full of bags, along with the floor of the elevator.

"How did we buy this much stuff?" I asked with astonishment.

Arthur let out a laugh and leaned over to kiss my cheek.

"I have no idea."

The elevator dinged at our floor and I wondered just how we were going to do this.

"Alright, you stay here, I am going to drop off these bags and then come back for more. Make sure the elevator doesn't shut on you, got it?" he asked stepping out.

I gave a nod and watched him go. He came back fast, taking more bags with him each time. Finally, I had enough room to walk out and grab the last few.

"I was coming back." He said, taking some of the bags from me.

"And I was fine. I just wanted to grab the last few-spare you a trip." I told him.

He kissed my cheek as we walked in and set the bags down with the others.

"Well, if we start working now, im sure we will be done by midnight." I joked as we looked at all of them.

"Hey." Arthur said, bringing me to him. "We don't have to unpack these now if you don't want to."

I gave him a loving smile and kissed him softly.

"No, I want to. I want it to look and feel more like home."

A smile grew from his lips and spread across his face.

"I like the sound of that- home." He told me as he caressed my cheek.

"Me too." I whispered.

We kissed for a while, just enjoying each other, before we began the task of unpacking.

As I put some things in the closet, a thought crossed my mind.

"What do I do with my stuff at my apartment? Actually, what do I do with my apartment?" I asked Arthur who was in the kitchen.

He looked at me from across the room, formulating a plan in his head.

"We could swing by there tomorrow before we go to IKEA? Grab your stuff and drop it back off here." He said.

"Arthur, I have a bed and stuff." I told him.

He looked at me puzzled them.

"Hmm…well I guess we could just spend the whole day at your apartment then. Pick up some empty boxes on our way there and start packing it all up."

I gave a nod. "And I have class's tomorrow- early though, so I will probably be up and out before you get up."

He gave me a smile and then nodded. "Sounds fine. We can go when you get back."

We went back to doing whatever, and we soon had almost all the bags empty.

"I am officially beat." I said, lying on the blankets we spread out in the middle of the room. I grabbed the one off to the side and snuggled with it.

"I second that." He groaned, lying down next to me.

I wiggled over to his arms, laying my head on his chest as I heard his calm breaths. We shared the green microfiber blanket, keeping it over the two of us.

"Night Arthur, I love you." I whispered.

"Goodnight Ari, I love you too." He said and kissed my head before we both fell asleep.

I woke up to my phone vibrating and knew it was the alarm I set. I groaned and reached for the stupid thing.

Turning it off quick, I slowly pulled myself out of Arthur's arms and got ready for class.

With my clothes changed and my hair in a ponytail, I grabbed my books and was out the door.

I had the boring teacher again; I found he did the same thing every class. Do the assignment on the board and read.

When it was over, I walked to Miles classroom and found it empty.

_Good, he's still on prep._ I thought.

Walking into his room, I felt a sense of happiness.

"Well good morning Ariadne." He smiled to me.

I smiled back and sat on a student desk across from him.

"So the job is done?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

"It is, and as you've probably heard, a complete success." I boasted.

"So how are you spending your days?" he asked me cautiously.

"You mean, have I been holding onto my totem to make sure I am awake and in reality? No, I haven't." I said.

"Really? Then care to share how you're spending your time?" he asked me with some surprise.

I blushed slightly and looked at him. "Im with Arthur. He asked me to move in with him the day the job was finished and I accepted." I said with a smile.

Miles's eyes glistened with happiness and he urged me to continue.

"He said he wanted to give us a shot and he didn't want to leave without me; So here we are."

"So you both are living at your small apartment?" he asked shocked.

I rolled my eyes. "My apartment is not that small. And no we aren't. Arthur bought an apartment just outside of Paris so we are staying there. But today we are going to grab my stuff and transfer it to his."

Miles gave me another happy smile, which was something I rarely see from the man.

"Im proud of you Ariadne. I was afraid you would loose yourself in the job, or that it wouldn't work out with Arthur when you went separate ways and you would be crushed. But im glad he gave you both a leap of faith, and im certainly glad you are happy." He said with true honesty.

"Well, I am glad you pushed me to succeed." I smiled. "Because… I get to graduate early!" I announced.

The professor's face went shell shocked and he was certainly surprised.

"My god Ariadne, you did it." He said with such amazement in his voice. He stood up from his desk, giving me a huge hug.

"I got the email yesterday, and they said that since I didn't fill out an address that they would send it here. They said it was a big honor and to be ready in a couple of weeks to walk down the stage and graduate." I gushed.

"How did Arthur take the news?' he asked.

I bit my lip and blushed a bit. "I didn't tell him yet. We were both pretty busy yesterday and then exhausted when we got home, so I decided to tell him today when he helps me move."

Miles looked interested yet proud. "Well, I am certainly happy for you." He told me.

"Thank you professor." I said hugging him. "I'm absolutely positive couldn't have done this without you."

He gave me a smile and then looked at the clock.

"Alright, well get out of here. I have a class coming soon."

With one last hug, I was dashing up the stairs in a hurry.

"Ariadne?" he called.

"Yes professor?" I asked popping my head back in.

"Don't forget to tell Arthur; im sure he will be over the moon for you." He advised.

"Don't worry professor, I plan to." I smirked and then ran off to go see my boyfriend.

I came back inside to a sleeping Arthur. He was still unconscious on the blankets sleeping like a baby.

Gently setting the keys on the counter, I walked over to him and laid back down in his arms.

"Hey." He groaned, hugging me.

"Hi." I smiled, propping my head up to look at him.

"What's got you so happy?" he asked groggily.

I opened my mouth to tell him, but then I felt like it just wasn't the right time.

"Nothing, nothing at all." I smiled.

He gave me a look like 'I know you aren't telling me something but I will let it slide for a few hours' kind of look.

"How was your sleep?" I asked as we laid there.

"Good, how was class?" he asked me.

"Boring as hell." I admitted. He gave a chuckle and then kissed my forehead.

"Come on, let's get up. I have a feeling we are going to have a lot of work to do." He muttered.

This time, it was me who let out a laugh. _He was right about that._

Arthur changed his clothes, putting on a tight black short sleeved tee shirt and a pair of dark wash jeans.

"Ready to go?" he asked, taking a bite of my pop tart.

"Hey!" I protested, measuring the damage to my pop tart.

He looked at me, chewing with satisfaction.

"Yea, let's go." I grumbled and moved my pop tart out of reach so he couldn't eat is as I passed.


	22. Chapter 22

"So what's the plan?" I asked while munching on the pop tart.

Arthur glanced at me while driving and looked at my yummy breakfast. Sighing, I took one last bite before giving it to him.

"Thank you." He said as he stuck the food in his mouth.

"So?" I asked.

"We get some boxes and pack up your apartment." He said, like it was the simplest thing ever.

I sucked up a snarky comment and watched out the window as he drove to get some boxes.

"Stay here, I will be right back." He told me with body already out of the car. I waited for a few minutes and then saw Arthur carrying a bunch of unfolded boxes.

"That was quick." I noted as he got in the car. We drove to my place, making it there within a few minutes.

"You know, we are probably going to need a lot more boxes than that." I laughed as he insisted carrying them up the stairs.

"Well, if we need more I can do a quick run." He said kindly. I couldn't help but chuckle again at the thought of Arthur packing my things. He really had no idea how much stuff I had.

"Alright, let the games begin." I said as I opened the door.

The apartment was still clean and untouched; just how I left it right after Arthur pleaded for me to come back.

I looked around for a few minutes, just getting the feel of things.

"So, what am I going to do with my furniture?" I asked him puzzled. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Well, we could hire someone to take it back to our place, or we could sell it, or we could just keep it here; maybe make a bargain to your landlord, telling him he could have a furnished apartment for some money back and your lease up." He said kissing my cheek.

I gave a look that showed him 'hey, that's a pretty good idea.'

"So where am I starting?" he asked as he let go of me.

Biting my lip, I looked around and then decided where to place him.

"You can start here with the books and DVD's. I think im going to head for the bedroom." I said.

He raised an eyebrow at me as I walked away with unfolded boxes. "Get your head out of the gutter!" I yelled over my shoulder while laughing.

We both worked pretty hard, occasionally stopping to check up on each other. Arthur of course wanted to interrogate me about my book and movie preferences, but I told him all the work we had to get done, so I promised to answer them later.

"Done." He told me from the doorway as I packed up my closet.

"Already?" I asked him shocked. He had finished the living room and kitchen before I even finished the bathroom.

"Yep." He said, coming over to help me reach some boxes on the top shelf in the closet.

"What is this?" he asked, holding the lightweight box.

I blushed slightly and dove for the box.

"Nothing." I said quickly. He moved the box out of my reach and looked at me mysteriously.

"Come on, give it Arthur." I whined while feeling my heart flutter.

"What's in it that you want it so bad?" he asked curiously as he watched my emotions being played over my face.

"Nothing." I said too quickly again. Cursing myself, I let out a breath and looked at him. "There are just some memories and stuff in there. I haven't looked in it in a while."

"What kind of memories?" he asked.

"Old ones, now will you please give it back?" I whined, watching the box in his hand.

"Fine, but maybe you should consider sharing this with your boyfriend one day." He teased, handing it back to me.

"Oh, so you're my boyfriend now." I laughed jokingly.

"Damn right." He said catching me into his arms and kissing me hard on the lips.

He sat on my bed, watching me pack the rest of my things.

"So, speaking of the whole memories and past thing, I have no idea anything about your past." I told him with my face in the closet.

He visibly sighed and ignored the invitation to share his life. I turned my head over my shoulder and saw his tortured face.

"Hey." I said, sticking my body in between his legs.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want it. Its ok, im sorry I brought it up. I just…I don't know much about you that's all." I said, running my hands through his hair.

He closed his eyes and laid his head against my chest.

"No, I want to tell you, I do. It's just…my past…its not happy. And I don't want you to run away or think of me differently. And the whole sympathy thing…." He complained.

"Hey." I whispered, bringing his head up to look him in the eyes.

"You know me; and if you don't then I will tell you how I would react. I wouldn't think of you differently, and I sure as hell wouldn't run away from you. Your past is your past. It made you who you are today- good or bad. I don't care if you were a die hard criminal or whatever you can think of; all that matters is that you're here…with me." I told him.

He slowly stood up, bringing our bodies close. "I love you." He whispered and then kissed me with the most love and passion I had ever felt from him.

The kisses eventually turned into something more…well…a lot more. We ended up lying in my bed, sheets tangled in each together. Our faces were practically touching as we looked at each other, just enjoying the afterglow of our passion for each other.

"The sun is setting." Arthur whispered as he brushed some hair away from my face.

A smile crept on my face as I imagined the setting sun; the way it was reflecting off of Arthur already made me believe it was one of the most beautiful things. My eyes drifted to my closet, which was still half packed and a total mess.

"As much as I would love to lay with you here, in my bed, we should probably finish up." I groaned and flipped on my back.  
The sun's glowing rays hit my eyes, and I squinted to look out the window. The sun set was more beautiful than I imagined. The orange sun glowed and showed a sky that was painted with the colors of pink, red, orange and a tinge of yellow.

I rolled out of the bed, sheets wrapped around me; I couldn't help but blush when Arthur watched me, drinking up the sight of me.

"Not to be a mood killer, but we ran out of boxes. So…unless you didn't use anymore out there…I think you need to take a quick run to the store." I smiled as I watched him.

He rolled his eyes and got out of the bed with covers wrapped around his waist.

"Alright, let me get dressed and I will head out." He said, kissing me softly.

"Sounds good to me; Im going to hop in the shower." I said and then walked away. Arthur stood there watching me for a while till I shut the bathroom door and got ready to finish off the rest of the day.

I was showered, dressed and waiting to finish packing as I laid on my bed waiting for Arthur.

"Hey, im back. I got the boxes and some snacks." He called out.

"Sounds good." I said as I made my way down the little hallway.

We brought the bags of chips and pop into my room as we finished packing. It was around 8pm that we were finally all packed and ready to go back to **our** place.

The landlord did decide to give me the rest of my money back from my lease, but I think he only did that because Arthur put on his intimidating face and stood a few feet behind me with his arms crossed.

We unloaded the boxes and shoved them into our apartment within an hour. And as much as I didn't feel like unpacking, Arthur cut me a deal.

"You unpack, and I will cook us some dinner." He bargained.

I thought about the offer for a few seconds before I gave up. It really was an offer I didn't want to pass up.

"Fine, but if im not done by the time you are done with dinner, I quit." I told him, heading for our room.

He smirked and then slowly went to the kitchen to cook. About a half our later I came out and leaned against the counter.

"So what are we eating?" I asked as I munched on a piece of celery he had cut and laid out.

"Ari." He laughed as he faced me.

"What? Im taking a break." I said with a laugh. He shook his head with a smile and guided me back to the room.

"Oh come on, I needed brain food." I told him, holding up the piece of celery.

He reached over me, taking a bite as he continued to push me to our room.

"Hey, no fair." I whined.

"I love you too." He laughed. "Now go finish. Dinner is almost ready."

I mumbled some words under my breath and went back to unpacking. Another hour passed as I was finally done.

_I thought he said dinner was almost ready…_ I said to myself. Just as I was about to walk out of the bedroom and find him, the power went out.

"What the heck?" I asked as I blindly walked out of the room to get him.

"Ari?" he questioned to me.

"Yea, im here…somewhere." I said as I felt my way down the hallway. The apartment was pretty dark, especially since it was like 11pm at night.

Flashes of lightening hit close by and lit the room for a few seconds. My eyes drifted to the window and watched the intense storm.

A hand was placed on my arm and I jumped.

"Ah! Geez, give a girl some warning." I said as I put a hand over my heart.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Come on, I have some candles in the bathroom." He told me as he led us back down the dark hallway.

We eventually got the candles and walked back to the kitchen. As I scattered them around the room, Arthur followed me with a lighter and lit the room.

I had to admit, it was kind of romantic yet frightening because of the awful weather.

"Dinner is served." He said, bringing our plates to the heap of blankets we laid out as our bed.

Arthur had made us some homemade lasagna and fresh bread. I had to say, I was really impressed by his culinary skills. We talked all the way through dinner and enjoyed our meal thoroughly.

"Stay here, I want to show you something." I said as he pushed our plates away from us.

He looked interested, but didn't move from his spot.

I came back a few minutes later with the box he had helped me get down in the closet earlier today.

"Ari, you don't have to." He said.

I rolled my eyes and bent down to kiss him. "Its fine, I want to show you what's inside anyways."

Slowly and carefully, I pulled off the top and smiled at all the trinkets inside.

"So, this is teddy." I said, pulling out my skinny, ragged old teddy bear.

"I got him like when I was four, and carried him around for….a while." I laughed embarrassed. Arthur flashed me a smile and paid attention to everything I had explained to him.

After a few more things, I pulled out a medal.

"This was the first medal I had ever won. I got it when I was like 12 for ice skating." I laughed.

"What about this?" Arthur asked, pulling out a withered up flower corsage.

"This was from my first school dance date." I told him as I twirled the thing in my hand.

"Who did you go with?" Arthur asked curiously.

My eyes shifted from the dead flower to my handsome boyfriend.

"Do I really have to share that information with you? You are known as the point man you know." I said to him with a smile.

He flashed me one back, bowing his head slightly. "It would be good to know; make sure he treated you right and check up on him." Arthur explained.

"Cute." I laughed and kissed him quickly. "But you're not getting a name."

We bantered some more and continued to pull things out of my box of memories. A few times, Arthur tried to bring up my first date's name, but I made sure to keep it a secret.

"So what are you going to put in here of us?" he asked me.

"I don't know yet." I smirked and looked at the box. I soon put it away and cuddled back into his arms.

"I can't decide if im tired yet." I told him as he held me against his chest.

Arthur let out a little laugh; it wasn't a funny or happy laugh, it actually sounded kind of nervous.

"What?" I asked, turning back to face him.

He studied my face for a little, just running his hand over my cheek.

"You asked today-about my past; and I want to tell you." He told me softly. I looked at him shocked.

"You-you don't have to." I said kindly. He gave me a small smile and kissed me.

"I want to." He whispered.

I snuggled into him closer and waited for him to start.

"I was in the military, before Cobb found me." He began. "I served 6 years after running away from home."

Just as I spoke up to ask why he ran away, he glanced at me and continued.

"I ran away because my father was a drunk and my mom was an over worked, under paid woman who just wasn't fit to be a mother."

"Anyways," he sighed. "I was in the military for a while and it was good, fine really."

He swallowed hard. "when I was sent home for a while, I met Cobb and he introduced me to all of this. At first, I was totally on board. I thought this would be great; so much better than watching my friends die beside me. Its not that I didn't enjoy the military, its just, I was tired of it. I didn't know who I was becoming or if I was even on the right side." He told me.

"So Cobb came along, and I took the job right away, not knowing what I got myself into. At first, everything was great. Inception, extraction…just everything was beyond my imagination. Then Mal came along. She was great too. A real charmer and a real catch to Cobb. They were like two peas in a pod."

He took in a breath and then stared at my lips. "Then one mission, I lost it. Between Cobb and Mal all handsy and the mission going south, I couldn't take it. I…I threw things and said words that I didn't mean. Cobb and Mal gave me this look, like I was a total stranger to them. So I quit. I grabbed my things and walked away. I couldn't stand the fact how they wouldn't listen to me, and not think about reality."

He let out a breath and then searched my eyes for any fear or uncertainty. "When Cobb got in trouble and Mal died, we got back together again. He didn't ask any questions about my past and didn't care how I changed. Instead of being the old me, I changed into this reserved, organized…crazed man. I needed things to be perfect, I needed to check out everything-make sure I didn't have one loose end. But I was never happy. How I lost it with Cobb and Mal…it was-…"

"Hey." I whispered to him.

"That's the past. You're different. And as long as im here that's never going to happen to you again." I told him.

He gave me a smile and kissed me softly. "You were the reason I changed in the first place. At first when you were recruited, I couldn't understand why you would ever want to take this job. I thought that you just couldn't understand what this job would do to you. But somehow, instead of trying to show you how dangerous and lost you could become, you changed me. I opened up to you like I never thought was imaginable and I felt like my old self when I was with you."

"Do you still feel that way?" I asked softly. His eyes became light and he kissed the top of my head.

"You've changed me Ariadne. Brought me back to the good. I know what I want from life now and im not afraid of that."

"You know you didn't exactly answer my question right?" I teased. He chuckled a little and brought me closer.

"Yes; I still feel that way. I always will." He said.

"And if you don't, I will remind you." I chimed in with a small smile.

"Yes.'" He laughed. "Im sure you will."

We cuddled together for a while, letting me take it all in.

His past wasn't that bad. I mean, I know he was holding back the details of his life with his parents and on his own and stuff….but im glad he told me.

"What did you do after you lost it?" I asked him, craning my head up to look at him.

"I ventured on my own for a while; then when I got tired of that, I settled down for a short time. I got a job, had a very small unsociable life and that's about it."

"You never decided to rejoin the military?" I asked curious.

He shook his head and gave out a sigh. "As much as I loved it; being in control and saving people, the thought of the line between the good and the bad made me puzzled. At times, when I would be trying to fall asleep, I would think to myself, was I really on the good side? I mean, of course, I was fighting for my country, but at what expense? Who was I to say who gets to live and dies?"

I tried to understand it, the confusion he felt.

"I didn't want anymore doubt or uncertainty in my life- I wanted to go back to being normal; to living a normal existence." He said.

"And that happened when I met you. I mean look at where we are right now, it can't get anymore normal." He smirked.

I rolled my eyes and smiled at the turn around of our conversation. One minute we are all serious, and then next we're using sarcasm and laughing.

"I love you, you know that?" I asked him randomly.

A smile grew across his face and he pinned me down to the blankets.

"I know, and I love you too." He whispered kissing me.

"And that's why I have a present for you." He said getting off of me.

"You do?" I asked confused.

"Yes, now stay here." He told me, getting up. I waited for a few minutes, pondering what he could bring me. He came out a little later and had nothing in his hands, or what I could tell.

We sat in front of each other, just sitting there. He held out his fist and opened it up.

"They are my dog tags." He explained. "I know it sounds cheesy and probably is, but I want you to have them. You don't have to wear them or anything; I mean, if you want, you could keep them in the box, I wouldn't care. I just…I wanted you to have a part of me." He said nervously.

I let out a laugh at his anxiousness and took the tags from his hands.

"They are great. Thank you. Now will you put them on me?" I asked.

The grin on his face returned as I turned myself around. He clasped the necklace and the tags dangled from my neck. They were kind of long; well, really long. They actually dipped down to the middle of my chest, between the valley of my breasts.

"Perfect." He whispered, kissing my shoulder.

We laid together, talking, for a while longer before we both began to feel sleepy.

"I love you." Arthur whispered as I snuggled my face into his chest.

"I love you too." I said, closing my eyes.

"And…thank you for today." Arthur whispered.

My eyes opened and I looked up at him confused.

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because…I just-….today was…." He stumbled, not even completing his sentences.

"Arthur, you don't have to thank me for anything. I didn't even do much. Today was great because…I don't even know." I laughed.

He looked into my eyes for a while; just gazing at them. We cuddled close to each other and moved our heads to kiss each other. The kiss was passionate- one of those warm, kind and sweet ones. When we pulled away, we both had smirks on our faces.

"You know, we are really mushy couples." I said with a laugh.

Arthur let out a chuckle and rolled onto his back, bringing me close so I could put my head on his chest.

"Yea, I guess we are, aren't we?" he asked.

"Most definitely." I said, acting like I was breaking some tragic news.

"Well, I can live with it if you can." He said looking at me.

I debated with it for a moment till Arthur started tickling.

"Yes, yes!" I laughed out as I tried to escape his grasp.

"I think I can accept it." I smiled.

"Good." He replied, giving me a quick peck on the lips one last time.

"Love you Ari." He said.

"Love you too Arthur."


	23. Chapter 23

The sun shined brightly through the windows and I groaned with displeasure.

"Too early." I grunted.

I heard Arthur take in a deep breath and cuddle closer to me.

With his body covering me, I was able to fall back asleep into his arms in the blink of an eye.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open again and I found Arthur no where in sight. I groaned, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

"Arthur?" I asked groggily.

Rubbing my eyes again, I pulled the covers off myself and slowly got up.

I began walking down the hall and stopped when I heard the shower running. I turned back around and headed for some coffee.

That warm liquid was my wake up call and I really that.

I poured the coffee, which was already made, into my mug. Bringing the cup to my mouth, I took a quick sniff and then drank it slowly.

For a while, I stood in the middle of the kitchen, just staring out the window. It was beautiful. The sun was slowly coming out and it looked like it was going to be a really nice day.

As I traveled deeper into my thoughts, I could feel Arthur's presence make his way closer to me.

I turned around, my coffee still in hand, and found him walking out of the hallway, fixing his buttons on the cuffs of his sleeves. He seemed in pure concentration as he had trouble getting them in the hole. He kept his eyes focused on the buttons while walking into the living room.

I hid my laugh as I saw him look over to our bed of sheets and find me gone.

"Morning to you too." I said, cutting off his deep thoughts. His head snapped to the sound of my voice and the panic on his face faded.

"Morning." He said with relief and then walked over to kiss me. His lips landed on my forehead and then he headed for the coffee.

"So, why are you up and dressed so early?" I asked suspicious.

He turned around to face me, sipping his hot coffee.

"We're going to IKEA today." He told me. His eyes never left my face as he sipped the coffee.

My face turned from happiness to dread.

"Seriously? This early?" I complained.

I could tell he was holding back an eye roll as he set down his coffee to wrap me into his arms.

"Yes, we need to get a lot of things." He said sweetly.

I groaned and rested my head on his chest. Closing my eyes, I just let myself feel and inhale his scent.

"I promise, I will make this trip fun." He said to me and then kissed the top of my head.

"I will hold you to that." I grumbled and snuggled further into him.

We stayed like that for a little longer before he inhaled deeply and kissed my head one last time.

"Go get ready." He commanded nicely.

I made a face but pulled out of his arms.

Unfortunately, I made my way into the bedroom with my duffle bag and pulled out some clothes. Since it was going to be a long day, I took out a pair of skinny dark wash ripped jeans and a thin, long sleeved creamy-ivory shirt. I also took out a charcoal-y grey scarf and set it out on top of my duffle bag.

Within a few minutes, I was changed and sweeping the scarf up in my hands. I headed for the bathroom, putting my hair up into a messy bun on the way. When I turned on the light, I began putting on some slight makeup and then finishing the rest of my morning routine.

"Alright, im ready." I told Arthur who was waiting for me by the kitchen counter.

He nodded, putting his coffee in the sink and making his way over to the door. I grabbed my low top converse and was out the door beside Arthur.

* * *

"So what are we getting exactly?" I asked Arthur as we walked into IKEA.

"Well, we need a couch and a bed. Maybe a few tables and a desk or two?" he guessed.

I groaned to myself as the escalator took us up.

"And we need some silverware, more cups, pots, pans, and other things."

"Your trying to kill me aren't you?" I groaned to him as we stepped onto the second floor.

He rolled his eyes and smiled at me. "You will be fine. Now come on."

* * *

It had been three hours and we weren't even close to being done. Arthur kept his promise. He was making it fun. He dragged me from model to model and pretended to be living in that part of the house. A few times we were more serious and actually picked out some things, but other than that, it felt like all fun and games.

We grabbed some lunch at their cafeteria and then sat down and talked about what else we had to look at and get. (There was no way I was going to make another trip here.)

Another four hours later, we were close to being done. Mostly everything had been picked out, now we were just looking at accessories and such. We ended up at the cash register about an hour after that and our total was huge.

I was practically gaping at the large amount, but Arthur didn't seem to mind. He just handed the lady his credit card and tad-a!

As we walked out, with a cartful of boxes, I couldn't help but groan.

"I love that place, don't get me wrong. But I don't think I could ever step foot in there again."

Arthur laughed at me and opened the trunk.

"Well we are done, so you don't have to worry about that."

I sat in the front seat with my eyes closed, waiting for him. Once he got settled in the driver's seat, we were on our way back home.


	24. Chapter 24

EPILOGUE

A few months later while I was out at a café reading a book, my phone rang.

After answering it, I found out I got to graduate early. I was ecstatic…and well…shocked. It had been a while since I sent the portfolio. I just guessed that they didn't accept it. Anyways, it was amazing. Time flew by and there I was walking across the floor accepting my diploma. Everyone was there, including my brother. As I shook the college presidents hand I could hear Arthur, Eames, Yusuf, my brother, and even Cobb cheering for me. It was the best day of my life…well…one of them.

* * *

The best day of my life. It was-…it was truly the best day.

After my graduation, the team, my brother, and I all went our separate ways. Eames went back for a job half way across the world, Yusuf went back to his studies, my brother went and traveled around the world, and Cobb went back to his kids. Arthur and I did a few small jobs, but nothing like what we would do with the team. We always seemed to keep busy though. Whether it was just to go out somewhere or do something, we never really spend anymore quality time with each other. It was one odd day that Arthur and I took the weekend off to just be together. He dragged me into our room to put on layers upon layers of clothes.

"Arthur," I laughed and groaned at the same time. "What's going on?"

"Please Ari? Just put a sweatshirt or something." He groaned while waiting for me.

"Ok." I huffed walking out and into his arms.

"Thank you." He said and kissed me.

"You're welcome. Now are you going to tell me what's going on?" I asked as he got up and dragged me out the door.

"Nope." He said with a smile and then made his way down the hall to the elevator.

"Arthur." I groaned as he smiled with whatever plan he had up his sleeve. He waited for the elevator to go down and kissed my cheek as he stood behind me.

When we got down to the car, he drove around pretty much in circles driving me crazy.

"Will you please tell me now?" I asked.

"Just hold on." He said while keeping his eyes on the road.

Finally, we got to our destination.

"An ice rink?" I asked.

"Yes, now come on." He grinned.

Arthur bought us each a pair of skates and led us onto the rink.

We laughed and fell a few times. It was when he slowed down and led us to the side was then I knew something was up.

"What's wrong?" I asked Arthur.

"Nothing." He said nervously.

"Arthur?" I asked slightly scared now.

"Relax Ari." He told me and kissed my forehead.

"Look around." He whispered.

I turned my eyes away from him and looked around. There was Eames, Yusuf, my brother, and even Cobb and his kids.

"Wha-?" I asked confused.

"Ari, there are so many things I could say; from telling you how wonderful you are, or how much I care for you. But what I really want to say is how much I need you. I need you everyday any day. You are my everything and I can't stand to be without you. So if you say yes, I won't just be the happiest man of my life, but the most excited, loving and best husband you will ever have."

I let out a breath and looked down at him with teary eyes.

"Ari…marry me." He said simply.

"Yes." I whispered with a smile. He looked up at me with gleaming eyes and I nodded.

"Yes. Yes, yes!" I said laughing as he hugged me tight and kissed me.

The smile couldn't be wiped off my face as Arthur and I skated over to our family. Congratulations were passed on and happiness was all around us.

It was a day I would never forget- A day that impacted my life for eternity.

It was the best day. Ever.


End file.
